If You Dare - Akatsuki
by mysticaldragon11
Summary: The Akatsuki is on high alert when a new and deadly gang makes it's way to their high school. Now it's up to Akatsuki to stop them.
1. prologue

If You Dare – Prologue

The bell rang on Friday afternoon. The weather was warm and everyone was eager to get the hell out. Kids ran to buses, kids raced to their cars in the front parking lot, it was total chaos. Except for one group, they casually walked out the side exit to a small parking lot that used to be reserved for teachers and seniors. Now the parking lot was theirs and theirs alone. No one dared to go out there unless you were with them.

The Akatsuki, that's what they were called. They were, if you could believe it a gang who kept order in the school. No one dared step out of line around them. The bullies didn't bully, the preps didn't pick on the geeks and the jocks didn't mess with the younger kids. They were the coolest, bad asses in the school. They knew how to fight. They knew how to win and they knew how to keep everyone in line and consequences for messing with them could prove to be fatal to your health.

Ten members occupied the group with the added two freshmen that happened to be a member's younger brother and the younger brother's best friend. They were an exception to the rules. They were members by relation and affiliation. You didn't dare mess with them either. That would land you in the hospital. When you seen the Akatsuki the best thing you could do was turn and walk the other direction.

The gang walked to the parked cars and sat on the hood of Kisame's. They sat or stood in a group around or on the car as moans and grunts came from the back seat of Kakuzu's car. He and Hidan must have had gym class and decided to skip again. Kisame laughed as Pein grimaced. "Someone go get their attention." Pein muttered as the rest of the group smirked or cracked up.

For some reason everyone looked at Sasori. "What? Are you serious?" He shook his head at the looks and walked to the car, keeping his eyes averted, he knocked on the window. "What *ahh* do you*ooh*Jashin damb*ohh*want?" Hidan gasped and moaned out. "Pein wants you guys for something." Sasori said and walked back to the group.

Everyone knew that Hidan and Kakuzu were lovers, so was Sasori and Deidara or Pein and Konan. Zetsu and Tobi had become a couple recently and Naruto and Sasuke were playing hard to get with each other. Itachi and Kisame were friends with benefits. Get horny, fuck your best friend. Get drunk and fuck whoever looks good. At least that's how they played it. Accept that everyone including them knew that they were in love with each other. It's just that Uchiha pride is a nasty thing to have.

Kisame would do anything for Itachi and Itachi was genuinely closed off. Kisame gave and Itachi took, Kisame got nothing in return. So why did he stick around? Simple, Itachi was the only guy that Kisame would ever love. If it took him the rest of his life, he would get Itachi to admit it too. The moans came to a halt a moment later as they searched for their clothes. Hidan was cursing up a storm the whole time about patience being a virtue. Something their leader didn't possess.

They crawled out of the backseat and walked to the group, hands intertwined. Pein eyed the group before him for a moment and then spoke. "There are rumors that a bad gang may be headed this way. By bad, I mean deadly. They have committed some real crimes. Have any of you heard the rumor?" He asked looking from member to member. "Only that they move from school to school preying on weaker kids." Sasori said. "That's about what I heard." Zetsu clarified.

"Well we need to figure out who they are and make sure they don't come and mess with our school." Pein said. "Stop them before they start, un?" Deidara asked. Pein nodded. "Alright, we have a new mission guys." Konan said excitedly. She linked her arm with Pein's and jumped up and down the way giddy girls do. They all nodded and started heading for their cars and headed for home. They all lived together as Pein had wanted. He had inherited a mansion from his grandfather and it was perfect for twelve people to live there and not get in each other's way.

It made things simple as well. They would be able to work on this new threat without any one finding out. There wasn't a fight that Pein would back down from and he knew he could count on his members. He gave them the rest of the day to relax. Tomorrow was soon enough to work out a plan of action. Right now though, this was Friday and they had, had a long week. Pein, Konan and Zetsu were seniors. Kakuzu, Kisame, Itachi, Sasori and Tobi were juniors. Deidara and Hidan were sophomores and Naruto and Sasuke were freshmen.

This had been a week of tests and finals and exams galore. Everyone's brains were on autopilot now that the week was over they could finally wind down. Tomorrow was a new day. So whoever this gang was or think they are, let them come if they dare.


	2. Chapter 1

If You Dare Ch 1

With the afternoon off, Sasori and Deidara raided the refrigerator, while Kakuzu and Hidan went to their room to finish their backseat fun. Zetsu and Tobi curled up on the couch to watch some television, while Kisame convinced Itachi to go swimming with him. Konan and Pein decided to take a walk outside on the grounds as Sasuke challenged Naruto to a video game. Naruto couldn't beat Sasuke no matter how hard he tried and yet Sasuke continued to bait him. Sasuke of course did it because the blonde looked so cute when he pouted.

Kisame and Itachi stripped and dived into the pool. It was nothing for them to swim together naked. Kisame made a couple of laps while Itachi floated on his back. Kisame surfaced and watched Itachi's body as the sun glistened off of his pale skin. Itachi's eyes were closed as he relaxed in the water. Kisame pulled himself up onto the floating chair and drifted over to Itachi. He sexily ran a finger over Itachi's chest as Itachi opened his eyes and smirked at Kisame.

Kisame raised his eyebrows up and down at Itachi playfully. Itachi rolled over and pulled himself up onto the air chair with Kisame. They met in a wet fiery kiss as Itachi crawled on top of Kisame. Kisame grabbed Itachi's hips and slowly entered him. Itachi breathed slowly and let out little gasps as inch by inch Kisame sheathed himself in Itachi. Once he was all the way in, Kisame began a nice gentle thrusting. Too much and they'd flip off of the air chair into the water. Too slow and they were just sitting there doing nothing.

They'd gotten this down to a fine science though. It was a perfect combination of timing and skill. Itachi moaned as Kisame grunted. Kisame thrust deeper and precisely hit Itachi's sweet spot. This was one of the reasons Itachi loved having sex with Kisame, he knew how to turn Itachi on, he knew what Itachi liked and he could please him like no other could. Part of the reason being, that Kisame aimed to please Itachi every time. Others always wanted Itachi to please them. Not the other way around.

Kisame was the only guy that Itachi would be uke with and because he was the seme with all the rest, they expected him to cater to their needs. He realized that he loved being Kisame's uke more than he loved being anyone's seme. And if it weren't for his Uchiha pride he'd give up everyone else and just be Kisame's. But that would mean having to tell Kisame that he loved him. Which he did, he just couldn't say that yet.

Another hard thrust to his sweet spot made him see stars. He moaned loudly and laid his head on Kisame's shoulder. He gasped for air as another thrust took his breath away. He moaned loudly again and then shouted. "Kisame!" He clenched around Kisame's member as he shot his seed onto both of their stomachs. Kisame groaned as he released into Itachi. They clung to each other as they regained their breath.

Naruto pouted as he was beat for the third time that day. Sasuke smirked and slid over to him. He wrapped an arm around Naruto's shoulders as Naruto laid his head on Sasuke's shoulder. Sasuke ran a hand down the front of Naruto's shirt looking for the top of his pants. He unbuttoned them and eyed him. "What are you doing?" Naruto asked curiously. "Making you feel better." Sasuke said as he slipped his hand inside of Naruto's pants and boxers. His fingers brushed the head of Naruto's member causing the muscle in his leg to twitch and earning a moan from him as well.

"Oh, you like that, do you?" Sasuke teased. He rubbed his fingers across it again as Naruto moaned lightly again. "Sasuke." He whined as he pushed his hips up trying to get Sasuke to take him into his hand. Sasuke pushed Naruto's pants down a little to get better access and grabbed Naruto's member. Naruto gasped and threw his head back. A moan rushed out of him as his body tensed up. Sasuke leaned in and kissed Naruto's neck as he pumped Naruto's now rock hard member.

"Mmm, Sasuke." Naruto whined. He was feeling so good right now. He had wanted something like this to happen for so long now. Now he was getting it. It almost felt too good to be true. Sasuke kissed his neck along the jugular leaving little red marks whenever he sucked on it instead. Tomorrow Naruto was bound to have a few hickys.

That thought sent a rush of pleasurable mischief down Sasuke's spine. He stroked Naruto's member harder and consistently. Naruto cried out and shot his seed into Sasuke's hand. Bucking up ever so slightly then relaxing. Too spent to move a muscle, he cuddled up to Sasuke. Sasuke rubbed his back and watched his blonde fall asleep. As Naruto was about to drift off his mind was on autopilot again. Wow that had been intense. He couldn't wait until the next time Sasuke challenged him to that game.

.


	3. Chapter 2

If You Dare Ch 2

The next day the member's of the Akatsuki gathered in the living room to assess the situation. Pein was giving each member and their partner a mission to find out as much information as possible. He wanted to be ready for them.

Deidara and Sasori were to go to the school on the other side of town and question some of the kids there. They had been hit hard at that school and were still recovering from it. Zetsu and Tobi were to go to the public library and look for news paper clippings on the incidents.

Kakuzu and Hidan were to go to the computer lab at school and search the net on every possible piece of information. Itachi and Kisame were to go to a mental institution and question a teacher who was supposedly insane over the whole thing.

Konan was to visit a girl whose brother had been killed by those bastards. The girl was 11 and Konan would have to be careful not to add to the stress. The family had been through enough already without any added trauma.

They put their plan into action. They would go one team at a time. They didn't want to raise suspicion. Moving all at once was bound to do just that. So Konan was up first. She went to the garage and got her car.

She waved to Pein who was giving her a hand sign to be careful. She nodded and blew him a kiss. She drove six blocks to an internet café, going in quickly she found the girls address and left. Now she had to find the girl who had lost her brother.

She drove for a half hour until she hit Carver Street. She made a left and looked for 2226. It was a brown and white house with one story. It was quite charming. She parked across the street and walked to the front door.

The door was red and had a lion's head knocker with gold plating. She clacked the knocker a couple of times and waited. The door opened to reveal a blonde haired girl of 11 or 12 and she looked at Konan in awe.

Konan's blue hair had a way of getting people's attention. "Hi are you Emma?" Konan asked politely. The girl nodded. "My name is Konan, I was wondering if I might have a chat with you about your brother?" Konan asked softly. Emma thought for a moment and then nodded.

She stepped outside and closed the door. "Not here. Let's go to the park." Emma said, taking Konan's hand and leading her to a park a block away. They went over and sat on the merry go round, as Emma looked at Konan." Are you a social worker or a therapist?" Emma asked.

"I'm neither actually. I'm a high school student at Sanora High." She answered softly. "What do you want to know about Jimmy? He didn't go to Sanora, he went to West Wood." Emma said, looking at her hands. "I know. But my friends and I have reason to believe that the group, who……hurt your brother, may be headed to our school next." Konan explained calmly.

Emma's eyes widened and she looked around shakily. "That's awful. They are very bad people." Emma said, swallowing a lump in her throat. "That's why I need you to tell me as much as you can about what happened and anything about them." Konan insisted.

Emma nodded and thought for a moment. "Jimmy stayed after school to work on his science project. There were only a couple of people left at the school. He stayed in the science room. He was a real science geek." She said smiling fondly at the memory.

"I walked to his school from my middle school. We always walked home together. When I got to the front entrance there was already an ambulance there. They brought Jimmy out on a gurney and he was covered up. I knew what that meant. One of the E.M.T.'s said it was blunt force trauma." Emma whispered the last part as her voice began to crack.

"I'm so sorry. I should go. I didn't mean to cause you anymore grief." Konan said hurriedly, standing to leave. Emma grabbed Konan's hand. "No, its okay, I want to help you." She said with determination in her eyes. Konan sat back down and continued to listen as Emma began speaking again.

"The police questioned every high school student at West Wood. But no one ever got charged. Finally one student, a girl named Kimberly came forward with some information. She was there the night that Jimmy died. She never saw the boys' faces. She only saw them running down the hall out the exit. She said that from the back their profiles made them appear to be twins. The same hairstyle, the same taste in clothes, the way they ran and body build and structure." Emma described them the best that she could from memory.

"Why was that never in the paper or on the news?" Konan asked confused. "They discredited her statement. She was high on weed and they swore she made it up." Emma explained. "So nobody believed her?" Konan asked frustrated. "I did. I talked to her again at Jimmy's funeral. She wasn't high then and she said the exact same thing there as she did to the cops." Emma said shrugging.

"I know what to look for because Jimmy used to get high to and he always had me cover for him." Emma said smiling sadly. "You really loved your brother, didn't you?" Konan asked. "Yep, every stupid flaw and genius bone in his body." Emma said without hesitation. "What else can you tell me about these twins?" Konan asked. "Not much. They had brown or blonde hair. It was dark in the hall that night. They were about 5'9 and average build." Emma said shaking her head in apology.

Konan thought for a moment. "Were these boy's students at West Wood?" Konan asked. "No, there were no twin boys or girls at West Wood. Not even fraternal." Emma answered. "Thank you so much, Emma. You have been a great help to me." Konan said as she stood. Emma stood as well and they headed back to Emma's house.

"I wish that I could help you more Konan." Emma said sadly. "Hey! Don't beat yourself up. This is good information. We will figure out who these guys are, once and for all." Konan said as she hugged Emma. Emma smiled and walked to her house she waved at Konan and went inside. Konan got into her car and headed home.

She pulled into the driveway a half hour later and ran into the house to tell Pein what she had learned from Emma. "Twins huh?" Pein asked. Konan nodded excitedly as she sat in his lap. "Good work Konan." He said as he kissed her softly. He hit the intercom and called a house meeting in the living room in five minutes. He loved this new system. No more walking in on the guys having sex.

Sasori began thrusting into Deidara again. "Danna*Pant*we have*gasp*to report*pant*to the*oh* living room, UN!" Deidara came as Sasori pounded into his sweet spot a couple more times. Releasing into Deidara a moment later he pulled out and lay next to Deidara. "Okay Dei let's go."


	4. Chapter 3

If You Dare Ch 3

Tobi and Zetsu walked into the library. They walked up to the librarian, as she looked at Zetsu disapprovingly. He had green hair and was split down the middle in two colors, black and white. The dumb broad probably thought that he had done this to himself. But whatever he was used to it.

Tobi asked about the newspaper clippings from the gang assaults, claiming it was for a school issue. Technically it was. She led them to a room off to one end of the library. It had one small window at the top and nothing else. Good for peace and quiet. There were shelves in eight rows through out the room. Boxes upon boxes occupied the shelves. She pointed to row 4 and about midway down there were at least 20 to 25 boxes about the incidents.

Tobi sighed, they would be here a while. They pulled out a couple of boxes and walked to a small table in the room. It looked like a table where they give you a lie detector test or something. But it would do. They both sat and began looking through the boxes. The newspapers were from a year ago when it all began. In the beginning they were calling them unidentified hooligans. Then somewhere in the middle they were calling them miscreants.

Now a year later after 7 deaths, they were calling them the unidentified monsters. Each clipping in the beginning seemed to mimic the other. No new evidence on the "hooligans" as of yet, but they are deadly, if you see them please contact authorities. Dumbasses. If anyone had seen them, they would have been caught. No one knew what they looked like, other than there may be a set of twins according to Emma and Konan source.

The next 4 boxes produced the same results only another boy had died by then. Jimmy, Emma's brother was the first. Gary Clark was the second. The same pattern as the first. A lone kid in the school only this time in the band room with a metal object believed to be a flute or something with keys. Well that was helpful.

"So what these guys don't like geeks.?" Zetsu's white side asked. "It looks that way." Tobi said. "Jimmy was a science geek and Gary a band Geek. So maybe that's what their focus is." Tobi said thinking about the two stories similarities. "Hm." Zetsu said together. Tobi smiled at Zetsu's split personality. One of the things he loved most about him the most.

"Whoa, wait a minute." Tobi said holding up a clipping. "A cheerleader dies in fall from roof top of school." Tobi read aloud. "Stacy Carter, 16 was found dead Monday night by the foot ball coach who forgot the game plays on his desk and returned to the back of the building to retrieve them.

Stacy was face down and appeared to have fallen. He went to assist her when he noticed the puddle of blood all around her. He called 911 immediately. Police and paramedics arrived on the scene canceling the Monday night high school football game." Tobi read the entire paragraph to Zetsu.

Zetsu looked at Tobi in thought. "So their focus is on anybody. That really narrows the field." Zetsu's black half said darkly. Tobi nodded in agreement. They went through a dozen more clippings before coming upon the 4th victim. "A girl named Tara Riddleman 14 was found dead in the high school swim team's locker room. She had been strangled."

"Well this sucks. Everyone they killed with something different. I mean if it was a baseball bat. We could say they have baseball issues." Tobi joked lamely. "Yeah, but they also killed 7 people in 7 different schools. What if they want to see if they can kill one person in every school they come to? That's motive." Zetsu's white side said.

"They're sadistic bastards. That's motive enough." The black half scoffed. Tobi laughed. He loved when Zetsu argued with himself. He got so turned on by that. They would usually end up in bed together with both sides agreeing on one thing, Tobi was a good fuck.

Tobi could feel his pants becoming tighter at the thought. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair. Zetsu kept reading but noticed the noises coming from Tobi's direction. "Everything alright over there?" Zetsu asked never looking up. "Not really." Tobi said frowning. "Why did you find something?" Zetsu asked.

"No, more like something found me." Tobi said staring at his now bulging pants. Zetsu looked up and followed Tobi's gaze. He frowned and leaned forward to see what tobi was looking at. 'Oh! His raven was horny. He put the newspapers off to the side. "Come here lover." He purred.

Tobi looked up to meet the seductive look on Zetsu's face. Tobi was next to Zetsu in a shot. Zetsu undid Tobi's pants and pulled them to his knees. He slid his boxers down next, freeing the bulging erection from its confines. Zetsu undid his own pants and pulled them and his boxers down to his knees. He quickly lubed a couple of his own fingers and pushed them into Tobi's entrance.

Tobi gasped as the fingers hit his sweet spot over and over again as Zetsu thrusted them in and out. Zetsu removed his fingers and pulled Tobi onto his lap. He lifted the raven up above his erection and slowly entered Tobi. Tobi cried out in ecstasy as Zetsu hit his prostate.

Zetsu grabbed Tobi's hips and began picking up and pulling him down. They both gasped and moaned as thrust after thrust heightened their pleasure senses. Tobi could feel his abdomen becoming tighter as Zetsu kept pounding into him with helpless abdomen. He could feel Zetsu's cock growing thicker inside of him and knew that Zetsu was going to cum soon.

Zetsu wrapped his hand around Tobi's cock and began to pump in time to his thrusts as Tobi used Zetsu's thighs to push himself up and down. They both moaned loudly one last time as Tobi erupted into Zetsu's hand. Zetsu came hard inside of Tobi. Tobi pushed himself up off of Zetsu's cock as Zetsu began to go limp again.

Panting and gasping they pulled up their pants and Zetsu cleaned cum off of his hand with tongue causing Tobi to laugh seductively. They returned to their positions on either side of the table. Tobi picked through a few more clippings as Zetsu found the 5th victim. A boy named Robbie Swartz, 17 died in a hit and run on school grounds. He was a football jock with a bad attitude, so it seemed. A paragraph told of his school suspensions and his achievements. Maybe they thought the good would out way the bad.

Two more boxes later they found the 6th victim. A girl named Tessa Raymos. She was a loner a misfit an outcast. She had been drowned in the schools swimming pool. She was an average girl with average grades. This is what made Tobi think that maybe, Zetsu was right. Maybe they were out just to see who they could kill.

The 7th victim was a boy named Bradley Johnson. A high school punk with no life and no future. He simply just was. He had been carbon monoxide poisoned in the auto shop of his high school. He had been locked in and a hose had been run into an exhaust vent and taped off to fill the room with gas. No fingerprints or evidence of any kind had been left behind.

They were down to the last three boxes and were sure they wouldn't find anything more when Zetsu came across a newspaper clipping. Just one, on a related incident with an 8th victim. Only this victim had lived. He showed the clipping to Tobi. Tobi's eyes widened at that. If they could find this 8th victim, maybe they could find these guys. There was no name of the person or the name of the school. Only that it was a boy. This would be like a needle in a haystack.

Zetsu thought for a moment. He looked at the Newspaper clipping again. The name of the town was on the newspaper. All they had to do was figure out what school the kid had come from. He and Tobi cleaned everything up and Zetsu grabbed their notes with all of the victims' names, possible motives or any connections between the victims on them. They exited the room and walked up to the librarian's desk.

Tobi thanked her for the use of the room and went to leave, when he noticed a little office behind the main counter. There was a monitor on the desk hooked into that back room with the newspaper clippings. You could see the table and chairs perfectly. Zetsu caught sight of it too. Tobi's cheeks flushed as they left the library. The perverted old bitch probably nearly had a heart attack or got off on it, whichever. Either way that was an image Tobi wouldn't soon forget. He was sure neither would Zetsu.


	5. Chapter 4

If You Dare Ch 4

Itachi and Kisame walked into the mental institution the next day. They walked down the corridors looking at room numbers. The receptionist had been very helpful. The nurse however had been adamant about letting them see him. She told them that he would most likely not talk and that he would have episodes of paranoid delusions.

They reached the room number they had been looking for and slowly opened the door. They peered into the room to see a elderly man sitting in a chair by the window, staring out into the court yard. His eyes were void of emotion at the moment and he seemed to be peering into nothing.

They approached him slowly and Kisame spoke softly. "Mr. Desario, my name is Kisame and this is my friend Itachi. We would like to talk to you about the incident at West Wood high. They tell us that you were there when it happened. Can you tell us anything about the guys who did it?" He asked politely.

The teacher just sat staring into space as if he hadn't heard a word. Itachi sighed. Yep he knew this was going to be a waste of time. He had told Pein so and gotten a lecture about not giving up until there is no reason to keep trying. He had simply rolled his eyes and kept quiet on further argument.

He grabbed Kisame's sleeve to get him to leave. Kisame looked at Itachi for a moment before nodding and turning to exit. "They were awful boys." Mr. Desario said. Not really talking to them as much as to him self. Kisame turned around and walked over in front of the teacher. He crouched down to the floor and placed a hand on the older man's arm.

"Who were awful boys?" Kisame asked softly. "I knew they were up to no good. I told him so." The teacher said, closing his eyes against a painful memory. "Who did you tell? Who were the awful boys?" Kisame tried again. The teacher opened his eyes and once again took on the blank stare. Kisame rose to his feet and turned to leave once more.

"Principal Keegan was wrong. I told him they were trouble. I told him that they would do something terrible. Bunch of hooligans, that's what they were." The teacher kept rambling on and on repeating those same words over and over. Kisame took a mental note that they should find this Principal Keegan.

They returned to the mansion, not really surprised that they didn't get answers. But more surprised that they had gotten a word out of the teacher at all. "Principal Keegan?" Pein asked, running a data base search. He found the man within seconds and gave them his address.

They left immediately and drove 5 miles across town to a rundown apartment building. They walked up to the second floor and knocked on apartment 12b. The door opened to reveal a man younger than the teacher had been. He was somewhere in his early 30's and was clean shaven with sandy brown hair.

He looked like a nice guy, very well mannered. "Can I help you?" He asked eyeing the teens with curiosity. "We hope that you can, Mr. Keegan." Kisame said. "We need you to tell us what happened at West Wood and who Mr. Desario warned you about." Itachi said bluntly.

Kisame looked at his friend as if to say, "Wow subtle" and shook his head. "Please Mr. Keegan, we only ask because we believe that those same boys are about to move into our territory." Kisame explained. The man shook his head. "I'm sorry, I can't help you." He went to close the door in their faces as Itachi spoke up once more.

"We know that you resigned and became reclusive because of it. Can you possibly stand by and watch it happen again to another school, is seven not enough?" Itachi asked with an edge to his voice. The door opened back up and he waved them into the apartment.

Boxes were packed all over the place and some of the furniture was covered up. He showed them to the couch and went to his kitchen. He brought back two glasses of tea and a plate of cookies. Students had stopped by all the time and he had always had drinks and snacks ready.

Not too many stopped by anymore. He sat in the chair and began speaking. "Mr. Desario came to me one afternoon, convinced that some new boys in our school were dangerous. You have to understand that I blew him off because he thought all kids were future criminals. He was certain that everyone was up to something bad. I had on several occasions humored him and told him I would look into them.

Only this time I had thought him to be completely wrong. These boys were polite and very smart. They never caused conflict and went out of their way to help people. At least that is what we seen. Never once did I think them capable of something so awful as murder. I still can't believe it to this day. But after 7 deaths, one has to wonder what is wrong with these boys."

"You knew of the 7 deaths?" Kisame asked. "Not until after I resigned. An old friend of mine from one of the schools that had been victim sent me some newspaper clippings of other surrounding schools that had also fallen victim to these crimes. They were of 4 of the 7 deaths. I found the other three on my own." He said sadly.

"I'm sorry, but we were under the impression that these boys didn't go to West Wood high." Kisame said slightly confused. "They didn't when the incident occurred. They had shown up and enrolled only to be gone a week later." Mr. Keegan explained. "It's one of the reasons I was sure it couldn't have been them." He said.

He got up and walked to a box. He opened the flap and brought out a book. He walked over and handed it to Kisame. "Our school has one thing that no one else has. They had never let themselves be photographed by any other school. Somehow our yearbook editor got some photos of them. They aren't great, but they might come in handy. I can't tell you who they are; I am sworn by the law to protect my student's privacy.

Weather it is that they are not still students or weather I am still principal or not, I am still bound by law to protect them. I am sorry, but you guys will have to figure it out on your own." He said looking at the floor in shame. He walked to the door and opened it, clearly ready for a breakdown. The teens walked to the door and stopped.

"Thank you, you have helped us tremendously." Itachi said and then exited. Kisame nodded at the man and exited as well. They had just found a giant piece to the puzzle. They returned to the mansion once more and handed the book to Pein. He smiled at Kisame and Itachi and gave them a "Well done." As he dismissed them for the day.

He felt they had earned it as he flipped through he pages of the book. It would be relatively easy to locate the twins if Emma's description from her source was good enough. So they had been students prior to the incident. That could only mean that they enroll to get as much info about the school before striking.

Now they had an idea as how they worked. They were on the right track and hopefully they wouldn't be derailed. Pein sighed in contentment. They were going to beat these guys at their own game and in turn maybe save a life or two.


	6. Chapter 5

If You Dare Ch 5

As soon as Deidara and Sasori walked into the school across town, they were eyed suspiciously immediately. After the death of the cheerleader who had plummeted to her death no one was taking any chances. They made their way to the gymnasium hoping to see the coach who found her and maybe get some info.

They found the gym easy enough and the locker room was just ahead of them. They walked into the locker room that was now void of students and made their way to the coaches' office. He sat behind his desk reading over a rule book for football guidelines as they knocked. He waved them in without looking their direction.

Odds are he thought they were his players coming to complain or whine to him about one thing or another. They walked into the office and stopped at his desk. He looked up casually and then a frown appeared as his brows furrowed. "Do I know you two?" He asked, clearly trying to put names to the faces.

"No, un. We go to Sanora High." Deidara answered. "We were wondering if you might tell us about Stacy carter's death." Sasori inquired. The coach looked at them warily. "I have already told police and her parents everything I know. I won't indulge your sick curiosity." He said sternly.

"No you misunderstand why we ask." Sasori explained. "The guys that have been killing students in these other schools are possibly on their way to ours, un." Deidara said in a rush. "We just want to be able to get as much information on them as possible to protect us and our school from a death as well." Sasori said.

The coach shook his head and sagged his shoulders in defeat. "Well what do you want to know?" He asked. "Well we were wondering if there were any new students around the time of her death. Maybe a set of twins or some punk looking kids who maybe looked suspicious." Sasori said. "Hm, suspicious like two boys showing up from another school wanting to know about the death of one of our students?" The coach said huffily.

Sasori rolled his eyes and Deidara sighed. It was going to be pointless to talk to the coach. It was a long shot and they knew it. They turned to head for the door and the coach stood as well. He watched as the duo walked out the door. He called to them before the door closed "Try talking to Amy Tiersly. She's the school new paper reporter. She knows most everything that goes on in this school." He called and then the door shut.

Deidara and Sasori looked at each other a moment before heading to the Newspaper room. They would be able to talk to someone who might actually know something about the "incident" that may help them out. They found the room labeled Journalism and knocked lightly. The door opened to reveal a girl with brown shoulder length hair and a t.v. camera smile. She looked the two over and then waved them in.

"Hi, how can I help you two?" She asked politely offering them a seat with the wave of her hand. "Can you tell us anything about Stacy Carter's death?" Sasori asked. Amy's eyes lit up at the mention of the dead girls' name. "What do you want to know?" She asked taking the chair at the computer. "Did she have any enemies?" Sasori asked trying to feel out Amy's personality.

"Oh no, she was the most popular girl in school. She made friends with everyone. If anything she was too trusting." Amy said without bitterness or hesitation. "When you say she was too trusting, what do you mean exactly, un?" Deidara asked leaning forward on the couch with new interest. "I mean she would go out of her way to help everyone and even the jerks of the school.

No matter who they were she was always doing something. Giving them rides home from school after hours, staying here to tutor someone into the night, always giving time and kindness to anyone who needed it." Amy said. Deidara nodded in understanding. "The bullies or jerks, who were they any of them new that she might have helped?" Sasori asked. "Hm, now that you mention it there was a set of twins and a couple of other boys that were new but they weren't jerks." Amy said holding her hands face up in an 'I don't understand manner.'

"Yeah we have heard the same thing from other sources that they were "polite"" Sasori said making air quotes. "What can you tell us about these boys?" He asked. "Well they came from foster families. They were orphans who never got adopted. "Too old" and they were all set in their ways. No one wants a kid who is already molded. Everyone wants babies to mold and contour too. So they were passed from foster home to foster home. Now they are all 18 so they are responsible for themselves." Amy countered.

"So now we are looking for boys who no longer need parental guidance and who have a tendency to pass bullshit out on a silver platter, un." Deidara mused. "Well put Deidara." Sasori said, smacking the blonde's shoulder playfully. "Thanks, un." Deidara answered a smile on his face at the joke. Amy sat with a frown on her face as she tried to figure out what was happening exactly. The boys stood and Sasori held out his hand. "Thank you, Amy. You have been a great help. We appreciate it." Sasori said as they turned and walked out of the room.

Amy shook her head and returned to her work. She had told them what they needed to know apparently. Deidara and Sasori walked out of the school to Sasori's car. They sat in the front seat quietly thinking about the situation for a moment. Sasori started the car as they broke into conversation. They had acquired valuable information. Now they needed to get back and tell Pein so they could be ready for what was to come. Somehow neither of them wanted to return right away.

Sasori drove to a secluded lookout spot over the city. He cut the engine and the boys sat in silence just looking down over their town. Deidara sighed and laid his head on the seat. Sasori looked at the blonde a moment before turning and climbing over to him. He Kissed Deidara's neck lightly as the blonde turned his head and found his lips. They kissed passionately as Sasori's hand made its way down Deidara's pants. Deidara moaned at the feel of fingers on the head of his member.

Sasori smiled and rubbed the head again and again making Deidara pant. Deidara quickly undid his own pants and pushed them down so Sasori could have better access. He wrapped his hand around the shaft and began to pump lightly on the blonde's rock hard member. Deidara wiggled around as the sensations rushed through his body. "Danna, I want you in me, un." Deidara panted as Sasori continued to pump him. He looked at Deidara a moment and then nodded as he turned back into the seat and undid his pants.

He pushed them down passed his hips and then grabbed Deidara. He sat him on his lap and maneuvered around so that Deidara was now right above his shaft. He lined them up and then slid into Deidara to the hilt without lubrication or preparation. Deidara screamed as pain shot through him and then began moaning as Sasori pounded him in his sweet spot. Sasori had gotten this down pat. He knew exactly what to do to keep his blonde uke happy. Twenty minutes of pounding and moaning and continuous gasping finally rewarded them with their release as they panted and gasped for air.

They cleaned up and redressed themselves properly and headed to the mansion. They walked into Pein's office and relayed the information they had learned. Pein was pleased to say the least. He dismissed them and they headed to their room. The sex had made them extremely tired and now all they wanted to do was sleep. They stripped and crawled into their bed, Deidara laid his head on Sasori's shoulder as they passed out in an exhausted sleep. Things were coming together nicely. Pein put the notes in his file and closed it.

What he didn't understand is why hadn't the cops done all of this? Or maybe they had and they had hit a dead end. Either way it seemed as though they should have been able to catch these guys. Why was it so easy for them to get this info when the cops were so clueless? Pein rubbed his temples. Well they would just have to see where all of this led them and hope against hope it didn't steer them in the wrong direction.


	7. Chapter 6

If You Dare 6

Kakuzu and Hidan entered the computer lab and each went to opposite sides of the room. They could get more done without distracting each other this way. They booted up the computers and began searching the data base for any existing files on the murders.

A list of site became present on the screens and they went to work reading and deciding what inside scoop actually had the inside scoop. It soon became apparent that most of the articles were lacking the details sufficient to this mission.

One of the sites had a little more detail on Tessa Ramos' death. It said she was the towel girl and gopher for the girls' swim team. It was her job to collect the towels and swimsuits to be washed and returned to the girls the next day.

It was also her job to make sure the girls all had their schedules and that they were there on time. If a girl was late it was her job to locate the girl and get her to the meet. She had been collecting the girls' towels and swimsuits to wash and have ready.

The girls' had, had a tournament coming up and it had been crazy trying to get everything ready for it. Tessa had been alone in the locker room and had been going about business as usual when the girls and the coach had left.

It was said that she had been collecting a towel by the pool at the time of her death. Now that was interesting. Who could know what she was doing if she were alone and how do they know if she carried that towel to the pool or picked it up there?

A witness would have had to see her by the pool unless the killer made the statement. Kakuzu read and reread the article three times and all three times it said the same thing. He read the rest of the article and then went to another site after printing out the prior.

He noticed after a few minutes that it was oddly quiet in the room. He turned to look at the zealot and noticed him intently reading an article. He had figured that he had gotten bored and fallen asleep. But he was shocked to see the zealot awake and attentive.

"Find anything interesting?" Kakuzu asked. "Hm, maybe." Hidan replied, his eyes never leaving the screen. Kakuzu got up and wandered across the room, sitting next to his boyfriend. The article on the screen was of another of the victims.

A detailed report of the crime was splayed across the page. Bradley Johnson, the punk who had been killed by carbon monoxide poisoning. It had been rumored that he had possibly hung out with a new group of kids during their brief stay.

It said that an argument ensued between the punk and the new group of kids two days prior to his death. So it seemed there was a possible connection between this victim and the gang. It would have been nice to ask him. But as they say the dead don't talk.

Hidan scrolled to the bottom of the newspaper clipping on the page. A corner of the second article remained intact on the page. It read a possible 8th victim escaped with mostly minor injuries but sustained a severed artery to the thigh.

That was all that was legible as the rest had been torn away from the page. With the missing piece of the article was also the possible name of the 8th victim, which left them again with little to go on. Hidan sighed and printed the page.

Everything they saw here was the same old story they had already heard. Yeah they possibly found a connection between one of the victims and sure they knew about a possible 8th victim already. But they needed new results.

Okay so expecting it to just land in their lap was asking too much but maybe just maybe a little piece of information that the cops missed or a detail would be nice. But then that is why no one had been held accountable. They had nothing to go on.

Kakuzu stood and went back to his computer hoping to wrap things up soon. He looked at them as stories mostly because most of them sounded like an amateur had wrote them and they were lacking something that would even make them tabloid worthy.

Two more hours passed as they finished up the search. Most of them mimicked what they already heard or they mirrored each other as if the journalist got lazy and copied the stories over and over again. Either way they had no more information than before.

They walked to Kakuzu's car and climbed in. Kakuzu grabbed Hidan's jacket and pulled him close laying a kiss on his lips. Kakuzu slipped his tongue into Hidan's mouth and then pulled back and motioned to the backseat. Hidan nodded eagerly.

In the back clothes were shed and tongues roamed each other's mouths. Hidan climbed onto Kakuzu's lap and thrust himself onto Kakuzu's hard manhood, causing himself to moan in ecstasy. Kakuzu grabbed Hidan's hips and began thrusting.

They moaned and they gasped as thrust after hard thrust made both of them see stars. They found a rhythm and stayed in beat with one another as they both began to reach that peak of pure bliss. Within a few moments they reached it together.

They panted and gasped as they tried to come down from that high. It was a few more minutes before either could get dressed. They returned to the front seat and prepared to return to the mansion. At least their outing hadn't been for nothing.


	8. Chapter 7

If You Dare Ch 7

A week later they all sat in the living room. They put together all of the information and had come up with the identity of the twins. They were Sakon and Ukon and their leader was named Orochimaru. They hadn't seen anything to point that they were up to no good at the moment but that only meant they were waiting for the right time to strike.

Pein told them all that they were going to try to find their location before they even made it to them. They were all a little skeptical about being able to find them. They had found a sort of pattern to their attacks. They had gone to every school in the city. All but two that is. Pein and the rest of them knew that either theirs or the other school was going to be next.

Waiting for it to happen was out of the question, but finding them was going to be the ultimate challenge. There was no address for any of them that they could find. Their guess was that they probably didn't have a permanent address so they could leave town easily after they've killed. The only thing that gave them hope was the fact that they had two schools left to go.

Pein looked over the information and the pictures again hoping to find something that they might have missed. The problem with that is that they had been over it so many times that it just seemed futile to keep looking. He sat back with a sigh and Konan gave him a sympathetic look. "Any thoughts as to where they might be hiding out?" She asked. He shook his head thoughtfully.

Kisame looked at the newspaper clippings again and shook his own head in defeat. "It's like they don't exist. However we know they must be somewhere. There are only warehouses between the other school and ours." Kisame mused. Pein stared at Kisame for a moment and thought about what he had said. All of a sudden Pein jumped to his feet. "Kisame you are a genius!" Pein said as he left the room.

"I am? How did that happen?" Kisame asked with a grin. Itachi shook his head. "Hn, who knows?" Kisame gave Itachi a playful glare and hugged him. "Itachi, even I have my moments." He stood up to find Pein who was headed back to the couch. "So do you want to tell me why I am a genius?" Kisame asked watching the pierced man pick up the phone book and start shuffling through the pages.

"You are a genius because the bastards are hiding out in a warehouse somewhere. The question is which one?" Pein said sifting through the business section of the book. The rest of the gang gasped at the answer. How they hadn't thought of it before was beyond any of them. Kisame nodded at the obviousness of it. He hadn't thought much about it as he said it. Now he was slapping himself mentally for not catching on himself.

Pein looked through the warehouses listed and figured out which ones were still in use or just in use for certain times of year. There were seven possible choices for the seasonal and two that had shut down and were listed for sale or lease. Pein dug out his map and surveyed the area where the warehouses were located. He weighed the options of which one might be a good hiding place. They all seemed viable.

He stood up and grabbed the keys to the van. "Come on, were going scouting." Pein said. Everyone rose to their feet and followed Pein to the garage. They all piled into the van sitting in their normal places and Pein backed out onto the main drive. He drove to the gates surrounding the grounds and pushed the button to open them. They swung slowly open and Pein drove out to the street.

They drove through the warehouses, stopping every now and then checking the buildings structure and location. It was unseasonably cold these days and he checked to see if any were equipped with a heat source. Only five had one. He drove around once more to all the availabilities and then headed back to the mansion. After parking and everyone was back in the house they all sat in the living room once more.

"So the only ones I seen with a heat source was the ones over on Monroe St." Pein said. Everyone nodded in agreement. Pein nodded back thankful they were all on the same page. "I think the one on the south end of the row is the one they are in." Sasori said. Pein looked at Sasori in curiosity. "Why do you say that?" He asked. "Because the stack on the roof looked like it has been in use recently." Sasori answered.

Pein nodded. It made perfect sense considering that the warehouses on Monroe St. were all shut down. Pein sat down next to Konan who was flipping through a dozen or so Polaroids. "Where did you get those?" He asked furrowing his brow. They were pictures of the warehouses and locations. She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "This is why I say you never listen to me when we argue. You are so oblivious at times." She patted his back and smiled sadly at her boyfriend's ignorance.

He smiled sheepishly at her and leaned over giving her a guilty kiss on the cheek. The rest of the gang watched in awe. They all wore grins as they watched the scene before them. Pein turned to look at his gang. He cleared his throat and blushed as he went back to the current situation. He laid out a plan of action, as they decided to stake out the warehouse and watch for any activity. Once they knew for sure they would make their move.

All of the couples got up and went to their rooms to get ready. Pein and Konan grabbed cameras and coms to talk to each other in different vehicles. They would have to watch every angle if they were going to catch them on the move. Within an hour they were ready and the gang headed out. They took different routes to the warehouse district so they wouldn't draw suspicion.

Pein, Konan, Zetsu and Tobi parked in a parking lot across the way from the front of the building. Kisame and Itachi parked in a storage lot on the left side of the building. Sasori and Deidara were parked between the buildings behind an old train car. Kakuzu and Hidan were on the back side of the building parked at a garage that was now out of business. They all turned on their coms and sat waiting for any signs of activity.


	9. Chapter 8

If You Dare Ch 8

Pein yawned as he looked at his watch once more. Konan turned the radio on low and sang softly to the music. It was 11:30 and so far no one had made a peep and no one had showed at the warehouse. They had parked at 7:00 to give them time to set up before they came back.

Tobi sighed tiredly as Zetsu pulled his head onto his shoulder. Zetsu kissed his cheek as Tobi settled down to get comfortable. Tobi grabbed Zetsu's hand and linked their fingers together. If they got any more bored Tobi thought he would actually cry.

Another hour drug by as Deidara moved his head on Sasori's shoulder. Sasori ran his fingers through the blond locks as he kept his eyes from falling shut. He sighed and shifted so Deidara lay on his lap instead.

Kisame and Itachi kissed again. Itachi leaned into Kisame and looked over his shoulder. Kisame had his hand up Itachi's shirt and Itachi had his hands in Kisame's hair. He opened his eyes to look at Kisame and something else caught his eye.

"We have movement on this side." Itachi said. Kisame hunkered down in the seat as they watched the figures climb up on the roof and go through a sky light. So that was how they were getting in and out. Pein told everyone to stay put for a moment.

Everyone stayed calm and listened to their leader. Pein told Tobi and Zetsu that they needed to follow him and Konan as he got out of the car quietly. Deidara still held his head where he had banged it on the steering wheel when Itachi had said they had movement. Pein called to everyone to meet on the backside of the building.

Sasori kissed Deidara's head and they got out of the car. They headed to the back as Kisame and Itachi headed towards the back of the building as well. They all met up at the back by Kakuzu and Hidan's car.

Pein walked up and knocked on the window trying to get their attention and wondered why they hadn't emerged yet. The window came down as the smell of sex hit him in the face. He stepped back as they looked up at him with big grins.

He rolled his eyes and ordered them to get dressed and join them. They crawled out of the backseat and stood next to the gang. Konan couldn't help but giggle as Pein frowned at them. Kisame shook his head and looked at Itachi.

Itachi just shrugged and looked away. He and Kisame hadn't been so innocent themselves. "So again I ask why are we not involving Sasuke and Naruto?" Deidara asked. Itachi rolled his eyes and then reminded him.

"If we can keep them from getting hurt then they don't need to know about it right now." Itachi said.

"They are members though, so shouldn't they be involved?" Sasori asked.

"They are on a school trip for two days with their class and it is too late we are here and this is our chance to stop these bastards from screwing with our school and killing someone else." Pein elaborated.

Everyone nodded that that made sense. They all stood facing Pein waiting for his order on what to do. He gave the order to sneak in and try to take them by surprise. They all headed for the Warehouse roof staying as quiet as possible.

Naruto laid in his sleeping bag as Sasuke tried Itachi's phone again. "Still nothing, huh?" Naruto asked. Sasuke shook his head no and lay down on his sleeping bag. It was odd that Itachi was ignoring his calls.

"Why did we agree to come on this camping trip again?" Sasuke asked. Naruto laughed. "We wanted to get the feel for nature. We are honing our outdoor skills." Naruto said laying it on thick. "Oh right, we thought it would be cool." Sasuke muttered.

Naruto laughed and nodded. He reached over and pulled on Sasuke's pant leg. Sasuke looked at Naruto and seen the most ukish look ever. He crawled over to Naruto and lay next to him as he kissed him and began to feel him up. Camping wouldn't be so bad after all.

Pein held the sky light open. He led the gang quietly into the warehouse. They were in some sort of tiny office and no one was in sight. They all crawled over to the windows adorning the office that gave a perfect view of the rest of the warehouse.

They looked out over the warehouse and spotted the guys they had been researching. One had long white hair and was slim like Deidara. Another one had silver hair in a ponytail and glasses. Another one had long silky black hair and golden eyes.

The twins who had been brunette in the year book now had teal colored hair. A girl with pink hair sat against a pile of crates and seemed to be calling a big chubby guy names. Another guy with black hair was playing with a spider as the black haired one with gold eyes seemed to be playing with a boa constrictor.

They took in the sight of the gang and sized them up. There were only eight members so it would be easy to take them down. Or so they thought.


	10. Chapter 9

If You Dare Ch 9

Pein and the gang surveillanced the other gang sizing them up and watching their every move. They had already figured out that the one with the long black hair and gold eyes was the leader named Orochimaru.

They had also learned that the one with the silver hair and glasses was his lover. He had called him Kabuto and had held him and kissed him a couple of times. They possibly could use that to their advantage.

He pink haired girl had been called Taiuya. She had beef with the chubby guy Jurobo. They seemed to have a mutual hate for one another and Orochimaru would continually threaten them when they got started in on each other.

The one with the spider was addressed as Kidomaru. He was the main muscle of their group it seemed. The white haired one was called Kimimaru. He and one of the twins seemed to be involved with one another. They of course were Sakon and Ukon.

Pein turned to look at his gang. He motioned everyone to come in close. They did as he began whispering their plan of attack. They would sneak quietly out of the office and position themselves behind the crates along the walls and wait for Pein's signal to move.

Everyone nodded and moved to the exit. Pein sat against the wall as a lookout as the door swung open easily. He looked out into the warehouse and made sure that the other gang hadn't seen or heard anything.

He motioned for Kisame to go first. Kisame nodded and crept silently down the stair. They were mostly hidden by a stack of crates and it made it easier to get to the bottom and not be seen. It was the top they had to worry about.

Kisame made it to the bottom and turned to give Pein the okay sign. He slipped out from behind the crates and looked at the other gang for a second before shooting across the room to another stack of crates. Pein turned and motioned Kakuzu next.

Kakuzu followed Kisame's pattern to the letter. He too slipped behind the crates and then turned to Pein. He nodded and shot across the room with Kisame as his lookout. Kakuzu joined Kisame behind the stack of crates.

Pein motioned Zetsu next. Zetsu slipped down the stairs and behind the crates, turning to give Pein the okay sign and then slipped around the crates to a stack across from the ones Kisame and Kakuzu hid behind. Pein was sending down his key players first.

Pein went next leaving Konan to take over his position as he slipped down the stairs and behind them joining Zetsu. Konan motioned for Itachi to go next and pointed to the side with Kisame and Kakuzu. He nodded and slipped down the stairs.

The other gang was now in some heated argument about carelessness. Orochimaru was getting more and more pissed as he moved over to Jurobo. The Akatsuki froze in their motions except Itachi who finished making the stairs and hid behind the crates.

Kisame and Pein watched the other gang to see if they were looking this way. All eyes were on Orochimaru as he grabbed Jurobo by the throat. He leaned in and whispered something threatening in his ear. He must have believed him because he nodded.

Pein motioned to Kisame to motion to Itachi. Kisame waved Itachi to him and Itachi shot across the warehouse into Kisame's arms. Kisame pulled him with him around the corner behind the crates and Kakuzu stepped up to help get Hidan into the clear.

Konan motioned Hidan down and he made it to the crates with no trouble. He stepped out to look at the other gang and Kakuzu motioned him over. He slipped out and across the warehouse to Kakuzu.

Konan motioned Tobi next. He was going to be on the side with Zetsu. He slipped down the stairs and went around the crates to join Zetsu. Konan left next and slipped around the crates to Pein. Sasori and Deidara were meant to stay in the office out of sight so they could get away if anything went wrong.

Pein and Zetsu slipped closer to the gang still hiding behind crates. They were grateful that none of the crate stacks were against the wall, leaving a perfect pathway to move closer without being seen.

Kisame and Kakuzu were doing the same on the other side. Itachi and Hidan stayed where they were and Tobi and Konan stayed put on the other side as well. Pein was planning on having the first four step out and then the other four after that.

Pein eyed his other three members and gave a nod. They all nodded back and they stepped out from behind their hiding places. The other gang spun around at the sound. Pein stood with his arms crossed over his chest in a devil may care attitude.

The leader of their gang stepped forward and glared. "Who the hell are you and what are doing in our warehouse?" He asked scathingly. Pein smirked. Kakuzu scoffed. Kisame laughed and Zetsu scowled.

"Your warehouse? Since when? It seems to me that this was an abandoned warehouse so it technically belongs to the ones who owned it before or it was turned over to the bank, but either way it doesn't belong to you and we are here to stop you." Pein said with a smile

"Is that right? What do you intend on stopping us from doing?" The one named Kabuto asked. He smiled at Orochimaru who laughed hysterically. He looked at his members and held up his hands.

"Do any of you know what he is talking about?" He asked still laughing. They all laughed along with him and shook their heads and shrugged. "We have no idea what he is referring to." They said acting as though it was some big misunderstanding.

"We are going to stop you from killing anymore students, Orochimaru." Kisame said with a hateful look on his face. Orochimaru stopped laughing instantly. So did his gang. Some of them gasped while others just became quiet.

"How do you know my name?" Orochimaru asked glaring hard at Kisame.

"We know a lot of things about you." Kakuzu said.

"So you intend to stop us with four people?" Orochimaru asked. Pein whistled and the other four stepped out from their hiding place. Orochimaru looked miffed when he saw them. Now they were evenly matched and he wasn't liking those odds.

Before anyone knew what was happening Orochimaru pulled out a gun and shot Pein then Kakuzu. They dropped to the ground and only a scream could be heard as Konan dropped to the ground next to Pein. Because they had never used and actual weapon to kill they thought they were above using a firearm. Apparently not.


	11. Chapter 10

If You Dare Ch 10

Sasori and Deidara looked out the window and seen Pein and Kakuzu take a bullet. Deidara almost screamed until Sasori put a hand over his mouth to keep him quiet. Deidara looked at Sasori panic and tears were in his eyes.

Sasori motioned for them to get out of the skylight as Pein had instructed them to do. Sasori pushed Deidara to the window and they climbed out and down the side of the building. Deidara burst into frantic tears and Sasori grabbed his arm dragging him to the car.

They hopped in and Sasori jammed the key into the ignition. He started the car and jammed it into gear. He pulled out onto the street and rapidly drove away from the warehouse district. He pulled out his cell phone and called 911.

He relayed that two of his friends had been shot and that the gang who did it may still be there and that they were the only ones who were armed. Dispatch sent out an ambulance and police cruisers right away.

Sasori pulled over on the side of the road and gave them the address to the warehouse and hung up the phone. He grabbed Deidara and pulled him into his lap. He held the hysterical blond and rocked him as he patted his back.

He hoped the ambulance and the cops would get there soon. He hoped that Pein and Kakuzu would be okay. He hoped that this nightmare would be over and that they could go back to their lives before these bastards had made a mess of things.

Deidara calmed down although still shaky. Sasori slid him off of his lap and put the car back into gear. He turned around and drove back to the warehouse district. He made sure to stay out of sight. The warehouse was surrounded by cops and two ambulances.

A fire truck was there and rescue volunteers took up most of the street. An Officer saw his car and waved him on. He nodded and drove away from the scene. He drove home to the mansion and helped Deidara out of the car.

He took him in the house and laid him down on the couch. He covered him up with a blanket and pulled out his phone. He called Itachi to try to get some information. Itachi answered and gave a quick reply.

"Not right now Sasori. Call me back in fifteen minutes." He hung up the phone and Sasori hung up his. He sat down and tried to calm his nerves. He found himself watching the clock and getting frustrated.

Fifteen minutes takes forever when it is something that is as bad as this. He could swear an hour had passed and it had only been five minutes. He sighed and laid his head on the back of the chair. He closed his eyes and tried to think of anything but time.

Deidara lay on the couch, tears running silently down his face as he stared blankly off into space. Sasori figured he was in shock and it would be best to let him work through it. He wanted to grab him and shake him and tell him to snap out of it.

Instead he let the blond rest and he just kept glancing at the time. Finally after fourteen minutes not fifteen he called Itachi again. Itachi answered right away. "Itachi what is going on down there? I need to know." Sasori said urgently.

"Well they took Pein and Kakuzu to the hospital and Hidan and Konan went with them. We are still being questioned by the police. How are you guys? Is everything okay?" Itachi asked.

"Yeah were okay. We are going to go to the hospital and see how they are." He said hanging up his phone. Itachi hung his up and sat down next to Kisame as the cops continued to question them.

Sasori got up and walked over to Deidara. "Come on we are going to the hospital to see how Pein and Kakuzu are." He said. Deidara stayed in the exact same position he was in. His eyes never blinked and he never even moved. His tears had dried and he now looked empty.

Sasori shook his shoulder and nothing happened. He looked into his eyes and it was as if the blond were looking right through him. Sasori cursed as he picked up the blond and drove to the hospital.

He drove to the emergency room and carried him in. A nurse brought a wheelchair over and asked what the problem was. He explained that two of their friends had been shot in front of them tonight and he had been like this ever since.

They wheeled him into a room and had Sasori undress him and get him into a gown. He did as instructed and then laid the blond down in the bed. He covered him up and sat next to the bed waiting for the ER doctor to come and examine him.

An hour later the ER doctor showed and examined him. He made a few assessments and then diagnosed him. He was in a state of shock that made his nervous system go kaput. He told Sasori it could be hours days or months before he recovered.

It was up to Deidara to want to come back to the real world. He basically called it post traumatic stress syndrome and Deidara was blocking out the bad and closing himself off in a bubble to protect himself from the truth.

The doctor left to check on other patients and Sasori began to cry for the first time that night. He was supposed to be strong but this was a night from hell that wouldn't be easily forgotten any time soon.

Kisame, Itachi, Zetsu and Tobi drove into the hospital parking lot. They had picked up Pein and Kakuzu's cars and drove them there as well. They walked into the emergency entrance and asked about Pein and Kakuzu. The nurse said she had no information at the moment.

They looked down the hall and spotted Konan and Hidan sitting in the waiting area. Hidan had his head between his knees and Konan sat staring at the floor as tears ran down her cheeks. They all went to the duo and began hugging them.

"They say that Pein took a bullet to the chest and that it missed his heart but it got his lung. He is in surgery right now." Konan said. They all gasped and shook their heads in dismay.

"Kakuzu took a bullet to a major artery in his leg and he is in surgery as well so they can stop the bleeding." Hidan said. He looked up at the ceiling praying to any god right now that would listen to make Kakuzu okay.


	12. Chapter 11

If You Dare Ch 11

Four hours went by before the doctors came out to give them the news. Pein pulled through the surgery and had to be put in an oxygen tent to keep his lungs from infection and bacteria.

Kakuzu had lost a lot of blood and was being giving more and had to be put on blood clotting medicine to slow it down. His artery was repaired and he would pull through but it would be a while.

Konan and Hidan were grateful to the doctors and the gang all stood to go to the ICU to see their friends. Konan went into Pein's room and held his hand. It was inside of the plastic tent but she laid her hand over his anyway.

He groggily opened his eyes to look at her. He tried to smile but he grimaced in pain instead. She squeezed his hand and shook her head. He closed his eyes and went back to sleep. She sniffled and sat in a chair next to the bed.

Hidan walked in to see Kakuzu and He sat down and took the scarred teens hand. Kakuzu opened his eyes and looked at Hidan. "Hey there." Kakuzu whispered.

"Hey there yourself." Hidan said back. He kept his eyes on his fingers that were now intertwined with Kakuzu's. Kakuzu squeezed his hand as hard as he could but he felt so week. Hidan squeezed it back and held it to his lips, kissing it lightly.

The rest of the gang had decided that it would be better to see them later when they were more awake and alert. They climbed into Kisame and Itachi's car and drove home to the mansion. They had begun to get curious as to the whereabouts of Sasori and Deidara.

They entered the mansion and right away they were shocked to see the place was destroyed. It looked as though it had been ransacked. Kisame picked up the phone to call the police when Itachi held up a finger.

"Wait, do you hear that?" He asked. Everyone got quiet and listened. Off in the distance there was someone yelling or singing or something. They walked through the mansion into the parlor. There was Sasori stumbling around, wasted out of his mind.

He turned to look at the intruders and smiled stupidly at them. They all frowned at him and gave him looks of disapproval. A record was skipping on the phonograph and Kisame stopped it. "Sasori, what are you doing?" He asked.

"I am expressing my gratitude to the almighty." He yelled.

"Where is Deidara?" Zetsu asked.

"Deidara? Oh he is gone. He went cookoo. He went around the bend and he ain't coming back!" Sasori slurred and laughed drunkenly.

"What do you mean he went cookoo?" Tobi asked.

"I mean he is bonkers, crazy, loony tunes. He went hasta la bye, bye." Sasori said making circles around his head, then waving good bye. He stumbled to Kisame and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Hang onto your uke. He just might join Deidara and you'll be screwwwed." Sasori said dragging out the word. He patted Kisame and left the room. Kisame looked at him as he left. He turned to look at Zetsu and they both shrugged.

Kisame went upstairs to Sasori and Deidara's room and found Sasori face down on the bed and passed out. He seen a paper hanging out of his back pocket and pulled it out. He opened it and read it. It was Deidara's hospital admission papers.

Kisame rushed down the stairs at break neck speed. He ran into the parlor where the others were cleaning up. "Guys, Deidara is in the hospital." He said handing the paper to Itachi. Itachi looked it over and gasped. He handed it to Zetsu.

Zetsu showed it to Tobi and they all looked at each other in shock. No wonder Sasori was so drunk. They all headed to the kitchen to sit down and take everything in. They still didn't know what was wrong with Deidara but they knew where he was now.

Two hours later, Sasori came downstairs not feeling so good. He had thrown up several times upstairs in the bathroom and now his head hurt. He slumped down into a chair at the kitchen table holding his head in his hands.

He sat quietly for a moment. Kisame slid the paper in front of him. He looked at it for a moment before the depression set back in. "Deidara went into shock. He has blocked everything from his mind and his mind has shut down." Sasori whispered.

"They call it PTS. Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. It could be hours, days, weeks or months before he comes out of it. It is like being in a coma but you are awake for it." Sasori said. He looked at everyone at the table and everyone had the same look.

They all felt terrible and yet they were somewhat relieved that Deidara wasn't in serious trouble. It was still bad enough and they all felt the weight of it. "I don't think we should tell Konan or Hidan about this right now." Zetsu said. They all nodded.

The front door opened and Sasuke and Naruto came walking in. They looked around at the mess and headed to the kitchen. They stopped short when they saw all of the long faces looking back at them.


	13. Chapter 12

If You Dare Ch 12

"So Pein and Kakuzu are going to be okay, right?" Naruto asked. Kisame nodded and so did Zetsu. "Why didn't you guys call us to go with you?" Sasuke asked.

"So you could get shot too and end up dead or in the hospital? I think not." Itachi said. He closed his eyes at the thought of his little brother lying there in a pool of blood the way Pein and Kakuzu had.

Sasuke frowned and then walked over and sat next to Itachi. He leaned over and hugged his older brother feeling terrible for Pein and Kakuzu and knowing that Itachi must feel a whole slew of things at one. Like relief, fear, worry, and sadness.

Three of their members were now out of commission and one of them was in danger of being out forever. Deidara was in a fragile state of mind and no one could do anything about it. At least not right now.

Konan called and gave them an update on Pein's condition. He was stabilized and doing well. His lungs were working properly and he would be out of the tent in three or four days as long as it healed the way it was supposed to.

They all talked to her and reassured her everything was going to be fine. Hidan called around 1:00 am. Kakuzu had insisted on talking to them. They put the phone on speaker and he assured everyone he was fine. He was still tired and a little sore but okay.

Everyone sighed in relief as they all decided to go to bed for a little while. Sasori got up and went outside on the balcony. He looked down over the grounds and then turned and sat down against the bars. He was so lost.

Kisame stepped out and wrapped a blanket around the short red head. He sat down next to him and placed a hand on the red heads knee. He wasn't sure what to say to comfort him so he sat with him for a while in silence.

After a while Kisame looked to see that Sasori had drifted off. He stood and picked up the red head. He was about to open the veranda doors when Itachi was there to open them instead. Kisame carried Sasori up to his room and laid him on his bed.

Kisame stood in the doorway looking at Sasori. He didn't know how the red head was feeling but he knew it was awful. Itachi placed his hand on the center of Kisame's back and Kisame wrapped an arm around him.

"All we can do is try to save Sasori from himself." Itachi said. Kisame looked down at his lovers face. Kisame nodded and kissed Itachi's hair. They turned and made their way to their room. They stripped crawled into bed and slept restlessly.

Sasuke and Naruto sat on Sasuke's bed. They were tired and yet glad to be home. They were upset and worried for their friends but content to be in their own beds. Well sort of. Naruto sat quietly staring at the floor. "Naruto, sleep here tonight." Sasuke said.

Without a second thought Naruto crawled into Sasuke's bed. They lay together facing each other and slowly drifted into an unsettling sleep. Zetsu looked at Tobi who had drifted off immediately. The night had taken its toll.

He looked up and watched the shadows dance across the ceiling. Things hadn't turned out the way they had wanted. Orochimaru and company had fled the instant the leader had pulled the trigger. The cops hadn't found hide nor hair yet.

Pein had made awful gasping noises as his lung collapsed and Kakuzu had only made a small sound when hitting the ground. He had been so quiet after that no one knew if he was still alive. Hidan had panicked and shook him for a few minutes before he spoke.

Zetsu could still see all the blood. It had poured from them as they had been lifted onto stretchers and placed in the back of the two ambulances. Konan had climbed in immediately to ride with Pein and Hidan had stood frozen.

The EMT had asked him three times if he was riding with him. Zetsu could still hear the loud bang of the gun. It still rang in his ears and the bullet residue still burned his nostrils. He looked over at Tobi once more and closed his eyes. He was relieved yet stricken.

The morning came shiny and bright as always. No one was feeling cheerful however. Kisame swept up some broken glass from Sasori's drunken outrage the night before. Itachi made breakfast but no one hardly even ate.

They knew Pein and Kakuzu were okay and that they were lucky. It was Deidara however that was weighing on their minds. Sasori came slowly into the kitchen. He sat down and stared blankly at the food Kisame had set in front of him.

He had a hangover and when he had woke this morning he had been reminded of the situation by the empty bed. Everyone picked at the food and no one spoke except to ask for something on the table. The phone rang to break the mood.

"Hey guys, Kakuzu wants to see you all so come on in when you are ready." Hidan said and then hung up the phone. The table was cleared and everyone headed to the hospital to check on their friends and ease their troubled minds some.


	14. Chapter 13

If You Dare Ch 13

They all walked into the ICU wing of the hospital. Hidan came out to meet them and let two go back at a time as per hospital policy. Kisame and Itachi went first and Kakuzu was grateful to see them. He talked to them and laughed to lighten the mood.

They laughed too and then told him not to worry about any of the bills or the house that they would take care of it. He smiled and nodded gratefully. They left and let Tobi and Zetsu go in next. They too laughed and joked with him and he returned it.

Sasori came in alone and when Kakuzu asked where Deidara was he simply told him that hospitals creeped him out that he would wait and see him at home. Kakuzu nodded and he and Sasori talked and joked as Hidan came back in. Sasori took his leave.

Sasori walked up to the group and told them he was going to see Deidara. The group followed to see the blond too. Sasuke and Naruto hadn't wanted to go into the ICU room because they were uncomfortable with seeing a member like that.

Sasori wondered how they would react when they seen Deidara. Sasori walked into Deidara's room. He walked up to the blond and looked at him. He still lay in the same position. He stared off into space and nothing moved. Sasori's heart was crushed again.

The group walked slowly into the room. Kisame and Itachi looked at Deidara and Kisame shook his head sadly. Itachi looked solemn and Zetsu and Tobi both gasped. Naruto and Sasuke left the room immediately. Naruto had burst into tears.

Sasori sat in the chair next to his blond and held his hand. He couldn't do anything else. The others looked at Sasori and Sasori nodded. He knew they all wanted to say something comforting but didn't know what that might be.

They walked over one by one and squeezed Deidara's hand. They patted Sasori on the shoulder and left the room. They all walked out to the hospital court yard and Tobi broke down and cried. He had had nightmares and was feeling so down.

Now a good friend lay in the hospital with no idea of what or who was around him. Zetsu patted Tobi's back as he held him. Kisame got pissed and destroyed a flowerpot. He was so pissed that he couldn't do anything to help Sasori or Deidara.

Itachi grabbed him by the arm and spun him to look at him. He laid his head against Kisame's chest and wrapped his arms around Kisame's waist. Kisame grabbed Itachi and held him tight. Sasuke and Naruto sat on a bench holding each others hands and leaning against one another.

Itachi's cell phone rang and he answered it. It was Konan asking if the guys wanted to see Pein. He was awake and asking for his friends. They all put on their happy faces and walked back inside to the ICU wing. Sasuke and Naruto stayed in the court yard.

They walked to the room and Konan came out to let them go back in pairs. Zetsu and Tobi went first. They walked in and their leader watched them through the clear plastic tent. They walked up to the bed and stopped.

"Hey guys." Pein almost whispered. His breath was still raspy and his throat sounded sore. "Hey there Pein, we are so glad to see you awake. You look much better." Zetsu said. Tobi nodded and smiled. Pein smiled back.

"So I hear Kakuzu is going to be okay." Pein said. They both nodded and Pein smiled and nodded too. "That's good. I was worried but I was a little busy and couldn't do anything." He said and grimaced as he adjusted himself in the bed.

"We totally understand, Pein. He was in good hands and you are both going to be okay and home before you know it." Zetsu said reassuringly. Pein nodded and then looked at his members seriously. "We aren't finished with that gang. We will catch them and stop them." He said.

"Of course we will. We never thought you would quit. We are still behind you a hundred percent." Tobi said and Zetsu nodded in agreement. Pein nodded again and began to drift off. Zetsu and Tobi left the room.

Kisame and Itachi entered the room and walked up to the bed. Pein opened his eyes at the sound of a new presence. "Hey Kisame, Itachi." He said with a small wave of his hand. They smiled and waved back. "Hey Pein, how are you feeling?" Kisame asked.

"Like shit, but what else would I feel like, huh?" He said with a smile. They smiled back. Pein dropped the smile and gave them a serious look this time. "What is wrong? Is everything okay, and you had better not lie to me." He said firmly.

Kisame and Itachi both looked at the door. They looked back to Pein nervously. "It can wait until you are well. We should let you get your rest." Kisame said grabbing Itachi's arm. Pein held up a hand in a 'Don't bullshit me' Manner.

Itachi sighed. He looked at Kisame and shook his head. "It's Deidara. He is in the hospital on the Psychiatric floor." Itachi said. Pein looked at him and frowned.

"What for?" Pein asked in concern.

"He has PTS." Kisame said. "I guess the shooting got to him really bad and he had a mental breakdown." He replied. Pein groaned and they immediately became concerned that he was in too much pain.

He again held up a hand. "Deidara's father shot and killed his mother and sister and then himself." Pein said. Kisame and Itachi both took on a look of astonishment. Pein nodded and sighed slowly. His chest flared up in pain and he breathed calmly.

"How is Sasori doing?" Pein asked.

"Not so good. He got drunk and destroyed the mansion last night." Itachi said. Kisame gave him a 'nice bedside manner' look. Itachi shrugged and turned to look at Pein.

"Keep an eye on Sasori and let me know about Deidara. Don't mention this to Konan and maybe Hidan needs to be sheltered from this as well. Hell don't even tell Kakuzu about it right now." Pein said. They nodded and left the room.

Konan came back in and sat by the bed. Pein looked at her and in his mind he was thinking that he needed to get out of the hospital so he could patch his gang back up and save his family. He closed his eyes and rested.


	15. Chapter 14

If You Dare Ch 14

Konan opened the front door and helped Pein walk into the house. Kakuzu had come home the day before and now they were getting Pein settled into the living room. He leaned back against the couch cushions and breathed a sigh of relief.

His chest still hurt from the surgery and it still made him wheeze once in a while. He smiled at Konan to show her he was okay and she left the room to get him some water and a blanket. She was going to be so motherly it would be unbearable before long.

She came back and covered him with the blanket and set the water on the table. Kisame and Itachi were there and Zetsu and Tobi had just shown up. Konan frowned as she looked around the room. Where on earth was Sasori and Deidara?

Before she could even ask Pein held up his hand to get the room quiet. "Konan sit down for a minute. I have something to say." She frowned slightly and sat down on the couch next to him, concern beginning to take hold.

"Deidara is in the hospital. I am going to tell you why and explain it the best I can." Pein said looking from member to member. Konan gasped and tears began to prick at her eyes. Kisame and Itachi looked glum and Zetsu hugged Tobi to him tightly.

"Deidara has something called PTS. It is Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. It basically causes your mind to shut down and blocks out something that you can't handle. Deidara's father shot and killed Deidara's mother and his sister and then himself all the while Deidara hid in the closet and watched.

The shooting must have triggered those memories and caused him to have a mental breakdown. We can only wait and hope he comes out of it soon. At the moment he is in a catatonic state. He doesn't have a clue what is happening around him." Pein explained.

Konan's tears no longer pricked they poured down her face. Pein put a hand on her leg and she squeezed his fingers. Kakuzu sat staring straight ahead as the reality sank in. Sasori had lied to protect him and Sasori was the one who needed the protection.

Kakuzu cursed and Hidan looked at him in surprise. Kakuzu looked like he was about to have a fit. "Kuzu are you alright?" Hidan asked with concern. Kakuzu looked at Hidan and then gave a ragged sigh. Hidan put his hand on Kakuzu's good leg and patted it.

Kakuzu smiled slightly at Hidan and squeezed his hand. The room fell into a gloom as everyone took the weight of the news. Hidan was upset but more concerned about Kakuzu at the moment to express it. Konan continued to cry.

Sasuke and Naruto walked in and the sight of the group stopped them short. Sasuke and Naruto had gone to school everyday and the rest had stayed home to take care of everything. "I take it you told them about Deidara." Sasuke said.

Pein nodded and Sasuke fell silent. He put his arm around Naruto who gave a small whimper of sorrow. Naruto laid his head on Sasuke's shoulder. He basked in the comfort of Sasuke's embrace as the tears threatened to spill.

Kisame stood up and grabbed Itachi's hand and pulled him to his feet. He pulled the raven out of the room and headed up the stairs to his room with Itachi in tow. They got inside the room and Kisame pulled Itachi over to the bed.

"Itachi, life is too short to keep pretending we don't love each other. Sex with you is amazing and the time we spend together is nice, but I love you and I can't see not telling you this when it should have been said ages ago." Kisame spoke softly.

"Are you afraid we are going to die and not be able to see each other again?" Itachi asked.

Kisame blew out the air he was holding in an angered rush. "You're making a joke of this. That's great Itachi. You know what don't worry about it. Let's pretend as we are so good at doing that there is nothing between us, because now there isn't" Kisame stood and stormed out of his room.

Itachi watched the door slam and he sat down on the bed as the words cut through him. He rolled over onto Kisame's bed and curled up into a ball and cried. He was in so much pain all of a sudden that it felt as though he were dying. He could only hope.

Dinner that night was tense. Kisame never showed for that matter neither did Itachi. Konan barely ate and Pein and Kakuzu's appetites had yet to return. Hidan ate as usual but every bite felt like a lump of paste sliding down his throat.

Sasuke and Naruto shared one plate of food seems how neither could possibly eat a lot. Pein closed his eyes and looked to Zetsu and Tobi who had just returned from the park. They had gone out to get some air. Something Pein wished he had the energy to do.

Kisame came back from walking around town and ran up the stairs. He walked into his room to find Itachi laying on his bed sleeping. He was about to be rude and wake him when he got closer and took in the weasel's appearance.

Itachi's hair was all over the place and his face was tear streaked. He held Kisame's pillow and would whimper in his sleep every so often. He was shaking with emotion as tears still slid out of closed lids. Kisame felt awful. He reached out and shook Itachi.

Itachi thrashed as he came awake. He looked around startled. Kisame reached out and touched his shoulder to steady him. He looked at Kisame for a full minute before he registered what was happening. He stood up to leave the room.

Kisame took Itachi's arm and pulled him to him and wrapped his arms around him. Itachi eagerly wrapped his arms around Kisame and held him back. "I love you, Kisame. Please don't leave me." Itachi said, his voice cracking slightly.

Kisame held him tighter. He whispered comforting things to him and kissed the top of his hair. "I love you too and I will never leave you Itachi." Kisame said with conviction. Itachi looked up into Kisame's eyes; he could see the truth there.


	16. Chapter 15

If You Dare Ch 15

Everyone had gone back to school. Pein and Kakuzu had healed nicely and were now back in action. Itachi and Kisame had embraced their new relationship. They no longer slept with other people and clung to each other like a life line.

Deidara remained in the same condition. He no longer slept, he no longer ate, he no longer laughed or cried. He just was. A feeder tube had been put into his stomach to keep him fed and drugs were administered every night to make him sleep.

He was like a puppet only the strings were broken and no one could fix them. Sasori refused to leave his side for long. He was convinced that if he was there and Deidara could hear him then he would wake up. He was trying to convince himself more than anything. It was all the hope he had.

They had lost the location of the other gang but Pein was sure they didn't go far. They didn't seem to be the type to cut and run. They were in this city somewhere. Pein figured that they would most likely be in another warehouse somewhere.

They would have to research their area again to find anymore warehouses that might be equipped for them to hide out in. At the moment they were all in class and Pein was getting a hell of a response to his getting well and coming back.

Without the Akatsuki there the school had gone to the hoodlums again. Now with them back the school was in order once again. Teachers actually welcomed them back with open arms. Funny how they had tried to bust the Akatsuki before and now they needed them.

Hidan kept glancing over to Kakuzu ever so often to make sure he was okay. Kakuzu would look at him and smile. Konan too would watch Pein closely. He would look at her and nod that he was okay. She would nod back and go back to her work.

Kisame and Itachi sat as close to each other as they could. So much had shown them that life was too short to worry about what anyone said or thought of you. Naruto and Sasuke still hadn't gotten together yet but everyone knew it was a matter of time.

They too seemed to stay as close to each other as possible. The same could be said for Tobi and Zetsu. They too seemed to keep an eye on each other at all times. They would be prepared the next time. They would make sure of it.

Sasori adjusted the wire that went to Deidara's IV. He held the blonde's hand and rubbed absently at the soft skin. He had barely slept in the last week and all he wanted was for Deidara to come out of this and be okay again.

Nurses came and went all day and night keeping things running smoothly. Sasori bitterly thought that they can change the IV's and they can make everything like new but his blonde. He knew it wasn't fair to blame them but he needed to blame someone.

He got up and went out into the hall. He headed to the lobby to the vending machines as he had for the last two days. He really needed to get out of here for a while and get a shower and a change of clothes. He placed his selection and walked out of the hospital.

He climbed into his car and drove home as he munched on the cookies he had bought. Not real nutritious but food anyway. He walked into the house and up the stairs to his room. He stripped and headed for the shower.

Hot water sprayed down his back caressing his skin. He could almost imagine Deidara's hands on him. He could almost feel his breath in his ear and the whisper of his words. If he stayed here long enough he could make believe everything was okay.

He forced his eyes opened and forced himself to wash up and get out. He walked to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. A plate wrapped in saran wrap marked Sasori on it caught his view. His heart swelled with love for Konan. He took out the plate and heated it up.

He sat at the table munching on the chicken and picked at the rice. He ate the baked potato slowly as he drifted off into a daydream of him and Deidara. They had been at the beach on spring break.

"_Hey Danna, come help me make a sand castle, un." Sasori had smiled and wandered down to where Deidara sat pushing the sand into a pile. He sat down and began helping Deidara form the sand. Neither of them knew what they were doing and they both giggled at the lopsided towers._

_After they had attempted several times to complete the castle they had given up. Deidara lay back on the sand. "Come here, Danna, un. Come lay on the sand with me." Deidara motioned with his finger._

_Sasori had obliged and lay next to the blonde. Deidara had picked up a handful of sand and began letting it pour slowly from his hand onto Sasori's torso. Sasori returned the favor. They both giggled at the feeling._

_Sasori pulled Deidara on top of him and placed a kiss on Deidara's forehead. Deidara laid his head on Sasori's chest. "Do you love me, un?" Deidara asked. This was there little thing. "Of course I do." Sasori answered._

"_How much, un?" Deidara asked. _

"_Enough to last us through eternity." Sasori answered. Deidara closed his eyes and they had fallen asleep in the sun. Deidara had had a hell of a sunburn afterwards._

Sasori shook his head and stood from the table. He needed to get back to the hospital and stop thinking so much. Otherwise he was going to be in the psych ward with his blonde. That almost sounded like a good plan.


	17. Chapter 16

If You Dare Ch 16

Over the next two weeks the Akatsuki had done some research into the abandoned or shut down warehouses in the area. Two more were discovered and Pein was putting together another surveillance mission.

Deidara still remained in his catatonic state and Sasori hadn't been around a lot. Pein had told him he could sit this one out. Sasori told him he would be there just like before no matter what. He felt he owed it to Deidara to not let his friends down.

Pein and Konan were putting together the plan of action while Kisame and Itachi patrolled the school. Kakuzu and Hidan patrolled as well just on a different floor. The school was three levels high and the Akatsuki had classes on all of the floors.

Zetsu and Tobi patrolled the third floor making sure that none of the other gang had reared their ugly heads. So far there was no sign of them but that didn't mean they wouldn't show.

Sasori sat holding Deidara's hand and talking away to him about school and Konan's failed attempts at making Pein's favorite pie. She had ruined six so far. Pein just smiled and thanked her anyway.

Sasori leaned his head on his arm as he leaned against the side of the bed. He held Deidara's hand and stroked the long delicate fingers of his lover. He closed his eyes and almost drifted off when he felt a twitch in Deidara's fingers.

He sat up and looked at Deidara's hand. It flexed a couple of times and then stayed still. He squeezed the fingers a couple of times trying to get a reaction. The fingers stayed still and Sasori chalked it up to a muscle spasm.

He lay his head back down and began to babble again about Kisame and Itachi finally getting together when they should have been together forever ago. He laughed as he told him how Sasuke and Naruto were getting closer but were still so oblivious.

He closed his eyes for a moment as a wave of loneliness washed over him. He had to bite back the tears and he bit his lip to quiet the sob that built in his throat. He went to pull his hand away and Deidara's fingers closed around his hand holding it there.

Sasori looked at Deidara with hope in his eyes. Deidara continued to stay catatonic. Sasori looked at the blonde's hand and tried to pull it away again. Deidara held on. "Deidara? Can you hear me? Wake up baby. Please wake up." Sasori begged the sob he had held broke loose.

The tears fell and he couldn't seem to stop them. He held Deidara's hand against his chest knowing that if Deidara were coherent he would feel Sasori's heart beat against it. Tears fell onto their hands as he bowed his head in sorrow.

Deidara's hand began to slacken it's hold and Sasori knew that Deidara was gone once more. He laid Deidara's hand on the bed and rushed from the room. He jumped in his car the instant he was out in the parking lot.

He drove out of the city limits and put the petal to the floor. He drove a deserted rode as fast as his car would go and he didn't care if he got into a wreck. He rolled down the window to feel the air rush in his face as he drove further and further.

He didn't stop until he reached the next town. How long he had driven he couldn't say. All he knew was that the town loomed before him just inviting him in. He pulled up to a café and walked inside. He gave a half psychotic smile as he sat in a booth.

Konan threw the seventh pie out in the yard. She sighed and turned to leave the room. The phone rang and she stopped to answer it. "Konan speaking. Sasori? I haven't seen him, may I take a message? Deidara? Yes! Yes! Thank you." She hung up and rushed to the living room.

"Pein the hospital called! Deidara has come out of it!" She practically shouted. He jumped up and grabbed his keys. They rushed out of the house to the car. They made it to the hospital in ten minutes flat.

They arrived on the psychiatric floor and to Deidara's room in a rush. Deidara was sitting up on his own and looking around as if he were a little lost still. Konan flew to him and threw her arms around him. "You scared the crap out of me!" She yelled.

He leaned away from her as she yelled and put his fingers in his ears. "Konan, don't deafen him. He just came back to us." Pein said as he went to Deidara and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Welcome back." Pein squeezed his shoulder lightly.

"Thanks, un. I am sorry I put everyone through this. I don't know what happened. I was just so scared and then I was somewhere else. I felt stuck, un." He said sadly. Tears began to run down his cheeks as he thought about all that had happened.

"Hey, its not your fault. It was out of your control. We are just glad to see you back in action." Pein said. Konan nodded. She was teary eyed as well. Pein rolled his eyes, she was so emotional, but it was one of the reasons he loved her.

"Where is Sasori Danna?" Deidara asked with a frown. "I don't know but I will call him okay?" Konan asked. Deidara smiled and nodded. She stepped out of the room to let Deidara and Pein talk and she dialed his cell number.

"Hello?" The voice answered. "Sasori?" Konan asked uncertain. "Nope, don't know any Sasori." The voice answered. "Where did you get this phone from?" Konan asked beginning to panic. "A guy gave it to me, said he didn't need it no more." The voice said and hung up.

"Wait!" Konan practically yelled. She redialed the number and the same voice answered. "Where are you? I need to find the guy that gave you the phone. Please tell me where he is." Konan said desperately.

The voice sighed and said "Lowery. Anything else you want to know?" The voice asked. "Yeah, is my friend okay?" Konan asked uncertainly. "He was when he gave me the phone. Okay I am hanging up now, please don't call about your friend again." He hung up and she wanted to punch him.

What the hell was Sasori doing in Lowery? The town was sixty miles away. What could have made him go to such lengths? Konan ran from the hospital and caught a cab. She had to find Sasori before something awful happened to him if it hadn't already.


	18. Chapter 17

If You Dare Ch 17

Konan arrived in Lowery a little after 5 pm. She paid the cabbie and got out on the corner near a small café. She figured it would be a good place to start. Upon entering the café she could see that the place was obviously a main attraction. The town wasn't huge but it was good sized.

She walked up to the counter and waited to get the waitress' attention. The waitress asked her what she could get for her and she pulled out a picture of Sasori and showed it to the girl. The girl nodded and said that that had been two hours ago. She said he had ordered a soda, paid cash and left.

Konan sighed. She had missed him and now she needed to know which direction he had gone. She thanked the waitress and walked to a table in the café of old timers who seemed to be a regular fixture in this place. Older folks seemed to always know what was going on in their town.

Sure enough they told her when he had come in, what he was wearing, what he had ordered, how he had paid and when he had left. They watched him step out the door and make a left and walk down the street like he was on a mission.

Konan thanked the old timers and left the café. She stood on the sidewalk looking at the buildings and anything that might have caught Sasori's interest. She began walking slowly checking out all of the names of stores and businesses as she kept her eyes peeled for any sign of Sasori.

After what seemed like a long time Konan came upon a small club. She read the signs on the front of the building. Minors were allowed to enter the club but not allowed to drink. Why did Konan think that that would stop Sasori? She stepped into the club and looked around. No sign of Sasori yet but she did spot his phone.

She walked up to the table and picked it up. A moment later it was ripped out of her hand and she spun to look at the culprit. The guy was glaring at her as he put the phone in his pocket. "That is mine." He said somewhat drunkenly. Konan looked at him in confusion at first and then reality set in.

She took out her picture of Sasori again and showed it to him. "Did this guy give the phone to you?" She asked. The guy barely looked at the picture as he went to turn away from her. She reached out and grabbed his arm. He turned back to glare at her and then stopped to look at the picture again.

Konan wiped at the tear that had slid down her cheek. The guy looked back up at her and nodded. She smiled softly at him and asked if he was still here. The guy thought for a moment. "No he left after he got caught swiping peoples alcohol." He said in a slurred voice. Konan's smile faltered.

Now Sasori was out there somewhere and he was drunk. Konan felt as though her heart was about to burst with worry for him. She thanked the drunken guy and rushed out of the club. She made her way down the street. The sun was now down and the air had picked up a slight chill.

Konan wrapped her thin knee length jacket tighter around her. She wore a knee length dress as well and black boots that came up to her knees but her legs were exposed to the cool night air and she shivered as she walked further down the street. She approached an ally way and was about to walk passed it.

Movement from the darkness made her stop and stare blankly down the dark ally. She stood trying to make out a figure or anything that might stop her from having paranoid delusions of monsters or boogiemen. A man stepped out onto the dimly lighted sidewalk. Konan stepped back as he made his way towards her.

She turned to walk away and he grabbed her arm and jerked her into the ally. She tried to scream but his hand came up and covered her mouth before she could. "You are a feisty one aren't you?" The man asked with a gruff laugh. Konan struggled to pull away but the man held her in a vice grip.

Konan began feeling the panic bubbling up inside of her. What was this guy going to do to her and why was he even here in the first place? She tried kicking out at him only to have him come closer and stop her legs from even making a single sweep. She began to feel a slight hopelessness in the situation.

The guy pulled her deeper into the ally and shoved her onto a pile of garbage. He pulled a knife from his back pocket and stepped towards her. The dim lighting in the ally showed that the man was in his very early twenties. He had white colored hair and it hung in long strands around his face.

Konan eyed him suspiciously. She couldn't quite make out the guys features but she was sure that he was one of the members of the other gang they had faced when Pein and Kakuzu had been shot. Her heart sped up a few more notches knowing these guys weren't afraid to kill.

The guy pulled out his phone and made a quick call. "Yeah meet me in the ally." He hung up and smiled at her as if he had just won some ultimate prize. She watched his every move as he stood watching her right back. She thought of a plan to somehow get out of this rather sticky and looking around at the trash smelly situation.

She made a move to sit forward and the guy immediately had the knife in her face. "I wouldn't if I were you. I wouldn't want to have to harm you before its time." He said shoving her back with the other hand. She laid back and relaxed as she thought of what else she could do to get the upper hand in this situation.

An idea occurred to her and she almost face palmed at her stupidity. 'Forgive me Pein.' She thought as she took off her coat. She laid it next to her and began working her dress up her legs until it reached the bottom of her panties. The guy watched as if in a trance. She could see he was falling into her trap perfectly.

She gave him a come hither smile and rubbed her hands on the inside of her thighs. The guy took a ragged breath as he subconsciously took a step toward her. She kept the smile in play and held up her hand with one finger up motioning him to her. And like any typical horny guy he did.

She held out her arms as he lay between her legs and ran the empty hand up her thigh. She shivered at the touch. Not because it felt good but because she felt ill. She knew she would have to play this perfectly. She moved her hands behind his back and rubbed his spine making sure to press him close against her chest.

He moaned softly and she ran her hand down his arm to the wrist. While he was caught up in her womanly gifts she slid the knife right out of his hand. She worked it until it was in her own and then she put it to his throat. She pressed until the blade drew blood and she shoved him off of her.

He stood up in surprise as she too jumped to her feet. She grabbed her coat and worked it on while keeping the knife pointed at him. He smiled as if she were just some idiot girl who knew nothing of self defense. She smiled back and turned a spin kick landing a blow to the side of his head. He hit the ground hard.

She took this opportunity to turn and run from the ally. She reached the entrance when the guy that had been called by the white haired guy showed up. He took one look at her and smiled sadistically. She began to panic once more as he closed in on her. Her mind went blank as the guy moved closer.

She let out a blood curdling scream that was sure to be heard by every person in the town. A moment later the guy was on the ground and blood ran from a gash in his head. The culprit stood with a lead pipe in his hand as he stared Konan down. She shakily stepped forward and threw her arms around his neck.

"Sasori, your okay. I was so scared and worried that something might have happened to you." She said in a shaky voice. Tears had begun to run down her face as the red head hugged her back. He looked at her and took her hand as he led her away from the ally. They walked down the street and to a motel on the other side of the street.

Sasori unlocked the door and led them both into the room. "Why did you come looking for me Konan, how did you even know where to find me?" He asked sullenly. She sat on the bed taking a shaky breath. "Deidara is awake. He came out of the PTS. I wanted to find you to tell you. I had no idea you had gone crazy and left town." She said smiling.

Sasori's head jerked up to look her dead in the eye. "Deidara has come out of it? Oh my god, we have to go home." He said as he began collecting his jacket and his wallet. Konan only nodded as he grabbed her arm and drug her out to his car. At least he still had that she thought as she climbed into the passenger side.


	19. Chapter 18

If You Dare Ch 18

Sasori drove quickly as he headed out of Lowery. He was desperate to see that look in his boyfriend's eyes. The one look that always took his breath away when he looked at him. He had longed for it and been long enough without it. All attempts to leave town were thwarted as they reached the road that would take them home by the gang they had been trying to stop.

Konan took a sharp intake of breath as the gang stood by their cars they had lined up as a road block. They must have expected that they would try to leave town and so the gang knew just where to be to stop it. It made sense as to why they hadn't chased them from the alley way. Sasori made a sharp U-turn and headed back the way they had come.

Konan dug in her bag for her phone and tried to dial Pein. The phone immediately beeped as it broke the signal. They were in a dead zone. Konan cursed under her breath as Sasori did some Dukes of Hazard driving around the corners. She looked up from her phone in time to see that someone was driving towards them and trying to cut them off.

Sasori made a sharp right turn, practically throwing Konan over the gearshift onto his lap. She grabbed the dash and resettled herself in hopes that they would be able to break from this circus before something unforgivable happened. In the rear view mirror the car made the exact same turn as Sasori and was barreling down on them.

Sasori glared and whipped the wheel making a left into a train yard. Konan looked at Sasori as if he was out of his mind. He shrugged and reached across her latching her seat belt. She looked as though she could die of fright by the look in Sasori's eyes he was about to get very crazy. She swallowed and grabbed the dash as they flew between trains that were being loaded or in need of repair.

It didn't take long for the other car to follow which only proved that they had just as much of a death wish as Sasori. Sasori shifted gears as he put his foot further to the floor. Konan looked at the speedometer and wished that she hadn't. They were doing a hundred through a train yard with twists and turns and abandoned boxcars everywhere.

One wrong move and they would crash into the giant metal monsters. Konan whimpered as they damn near side swiped a train. None of them were moving but it wasn't any better. Metal against metal was never a good thing. Sasori shifted again as he rounded a curve following the train along it's tracks. The car behind them did the same.

Sasori whipped the wheel and drove in front of one train and jumped between it and another. Konan looked at Sasori who kept his eyes in front of him. "Sasori what if these trains come together and there is no exit?" Konan asked shakily. Sasori looked at her for a second and smiled.

He knew the trains came together and he was up to something. He drove a little faster and then just before he ran out of room he made a sharp U-turn and headed back the other way. The other car however had no idea and hit right between the two trains. The car exploded and fire engulfed it completely. Konan watched in shock as the car was consumed.

Sasori sat looking at the train next to him with a mixture of relief and horror. Sasori drove on back out of the train yard and headed to the edge of town again only this time he drove around the road block a mile away on a path that led to the main highway. The other gang never even seen them leave town but they would be back after the loss of two of their members. Revenge was in the cards for sure.

They drove home in silence. Konan kept thinking of the way the car exploded. Cars don't explode with gas so what could have been in that car to make it explode like that? She wondered. They reached the hospital only to be told that Pein had taken Deidara home. They nodded quickly and left. Home was where they both wanted to be.

They walked through the door and all hell broke loose. Pein grabbed Konan and hugged her as he shouted about stupidity of running off and not telling anyone. Deidara wasn't in a good mood either. He woke to find Pein and Konan there and then when Konan tried to contact Sasori she had disappeared making everyone worry.

Itachi and Kisame were home as well and they were not pleased neither was Sasuke and Naruto. Kakuzu had began shouting and cursing so much that everyone looked at him as though he were Hidan. Zetsu had started to yell at them only to begin arguing with himself and Tobi was now trying to calm him down. It was only when Konan burst into tears and everyone realized that Sasori hadn't said a word that it got quiet.

"Danna, un. What is the matter with you two? You guys are acting very different, un." Deidara said worriedly. Sasori walked over and plopped onto the couch placing his hands over his face. "Two of the members from the other gang are dead." Sasori said quietly. A loud gasp went through the room.

"How do you know Danna, un?" Deidara asked rushing to Sasori's side. "Because we killed them." Konan sobbed. Another gasp went through the room as everyone looked at each other like 'Did you hear what I heard?' Pein immediately ordered everyone to take a seat and hear what happened.

Sasori began by telling everyone how he had lost it looking at Deidara so lifeless in that bed and yet so much like a puppet. He told how he had just jumped into his car and drove and ended up in Lowery. He told how he had walked into a café and some guy had told him how nice his phone was. He had thanked the guy and left after a while.

He had gone to a club to unwind and saw the same guy there and gave him his phone. He had no intentions of coming back. He had been walking down the street half cocked and heard a commotion in the alley way. When he seen Konan had come to find him he had saved her from a thug only to find out that the thug was one of the gang members they were searching for.

He told how they had gone to his motel room and Konan had told him that Deidara was back. He had rushed them out to head home to him when the gang got the idea to stop them from leaving town. Sasori stopped and took a deep breath before going on to tell what happened after they had reached the road block.

Konan sat so still and so quiet that Pein kept looking at her to make sure she was still breathing. Sasori described in detail of how the car had chased them and how he had turned into the train yard with hopes of losing them. The next few minutes were the hardest and the most horrifying of all.

Konan began to cry making little hiccup noises as Sasori described in detail how the car had hit between the two trains and exploded. All members in the room were gravely silent. Sasori finished and bowed his head to look at his hands. Deidara wrapped his arms around Sasori's neck and tears streamed down his cheeks onto Sasori's arm.

Sasori laid his head against Deidara's and closed his eyes. "It wasn't your fault, un. They were after you and what do you think they would have done had they gotten a hold of you?" Deidara asked. Sasori looked at his boyfriend and frowned. He hadn't thought much about the tables turning on them. But if they had they would have died just the two of them.

"Deidara is right. You are not to blame. They already had intentions of taking you two out and they failed. It was their own fuck up and they are to blame." Pein said firmly. Everyone in the room agreed. Konan smiled a little at Pein. He held her tight against him and Deidara kissed Sasori's lips.

"They are going to want revenge, no doubt." Kisame said. Pein nodded. "Yes they will. We just need to keep our eyes and ears open. They are going to be back and they are going to try to take us down. With two members down on their gang we stand a better chance." Pein said. Again everyone agreed.

It was late and everyone was tired so the couples began breaking from the group and making their way to their rooms. Deidara and Sasori laid in their bed holding each other and kissing passionately. Deidara looked at Sasori and smiled. Sasori's heart skipped a beat. He leaned down and kissed Deidara's forehead. "I love you so much, Dei." Sasori whispered. "I love you too, Danna un." Deidara whispered back.

They held each other through the night, Deidara awake all night watching Sasori sleep. He would be stronger this time and Sasori would never be alone again as long as Deidara was around to stop it. Let the bastards come again If They Dared. They were ready for them.


	20. Chapter 19

If You Dare Ch 19

The gang wouldn't show their ugly heads until two weeks later. The Akatsuki were back in school and everyone was getting back on track. They never let their guard down knowing that the gang would come after them. The news had showed the crash and the identities of the two deceased boys.

It had been Kimimaru the one with long white hair and Tayuya the pink haired girl. Sasori had been surprised that the girl was one of the deceased. He guessed she was probably as ruthless as the rest. They still had the leader and the rest of his gang to deal with. Pein was already making plans on how to take them down.

Unfortunately he wasn't sharing them with the rest of the group at the moment. Everyone was confident that he knew what he was doing and would share when ready. Pein was always trying to work one step ahead it was how they had managed to stay so strong.

The other gang being as sneaky as they were never actually showed up in person but had left the Akatsuki a message. It was painted on the back side of the school where the Akatsuki parked their cars. They would be sure to see it. It read…

"You are going down, Akatsuki." Pein knew that they meant to kill them this time. They had been lucky when he and Kakuzu got shot. Now he knew it was going to get brutal. He turned to his members and told everyone to get in the car and home so they could talk in private.

Once home they all gathered around the living room to hear what Pein had to say. "We have never had to fight with weapons before. I don't believe in fighting with them now. We know how ruthless these bastards are and what they are capable of. I am leaving it open to a vote if we use weapons or not. I understand your vote either way." Pein said.

Everyone was silent. All minds were turning the question over in their heads. By using weapons they were no better than the bastards who they were up against. By not using weapons they were leaving themselves open for possible death. This situation sucked and bad.

Pein watched quietly as each member took into account the pros and the cons. They were good people. They had started this gang to help people not kill them. Sasori and Konan had had no choice but to do what they did. It was their life or the others. Technically it had been the others fault that they had died so it wasn't blood on Sasori and Konan's hands it was blood on their own leaders.

"I vote no weapons." Sasori said. "I vote no weapons, un." Deidara agreed. Sasori squeezed Deidara's fingers. Deidara smiled back. They were scared it was apparent but they couldn't see lowering their standards for the other gang. They had morals and they needed to keep them.

"I vote no weapons." Tobi said. "I vote no as well." Zetsu said. **"You would." **Zetsu's split personality answered. Zetsu growled low and told himself to shut up. The others in the room smiled. Zetsu was one of a kind. Well make that two.

"I vote no weapons." Itachi said. "I vote no weapons too." Kisame said. Itachi nodded to Kisame. Kisame squeezed Itachi's shoulder. He would protect Itachi at any cost and even if it meant taking a bullet or a knife in the gut. He would fight until the end.

"I vote no weapons." Sasuke said. "I vote no weapons either." Naruto said. Pein nodded at the younger boys. "I vote no weapons." Kakuzu said. Hidan looked at him as though he was crazy. He rolled his eyes and pouted. "Jashin dammit, I vote no weapons." Hidan huffed.

"I vote no weapons." Konan said. I too vote no weapons." Pein said. "The vote is unanimous. We fight like we always have. With our wits not our anger or hate. Be careful and try not to get killed." Pein said. Everyone nodded.

"My plan is to try to get them on our turf. We need to try to get them to come after us at our school." Pein said. A gasp went through the room. "I thought we were trying to keep them away from our school?" Kisame asked. Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Yes, while there are people there that they could harm. I was thinking we need to do something crazy and make it where they have to shut down the school for a few days for repairs." Pein said. Konan gave him a frown.

"You want to vandalize our school?" She asked in shock. He smiled reassuringly at her. "I don't want to do anything to bad but something that will stop them from opening school. Then we lure them to our school and we fight them on our terms. We know the school inside out. We know all the tricks because most of them we created." Pein said.

Everyone nodded. It was true they had found all the nooks and crannies and all the little hidden rooms and crawl spaces. They had actually created a couple of the crawl spaces themselves. They would have the advantage. All they needed now was a reason to keep the school closed.

The answer came to them in the twinkle in Deidara's eye. "Bombs in every locker, un. I will plant them in cupboards and everywhere that wont do too much damage but make the school have to be swept until every bomb is found. Plus I have an idea." He said smiling as though he had just swallowed a canary.

"What is that?" Sasori asked a little suspicious. "Well you know how the school keeps insisting that they can't paint the school because of budget cuts? I say we spray paint graffiti on the walls and make it look like the other gang did it. The state will have no choice but to pay for new paint because they won't want us going to school with threats all over the walls." Deidara said smiling.

Sasori laughed and closed his eyes. Only Deidara could come up with something clever like that. Pein laughed and nodded. "It is perfect." He said. "You mean we will get rid of those ugly ass yellow walls that look like someone puked on them and it ate through them?" Konan asked. Deidara nodded.

"I say let's do it." Hidan said already getting that mischievous look in his eyes. Kakuzu rubbed the zealots back. He loved the silver haired boy but his excitement for destruction, murder and mayhem was a little unsettling. Either way it was a good plan.

The Akatsuki spent the better part of the evening planning and plotting how they would make this happen and pull it off smoothly. Deidara and Sasori were busy building the bombs and Kisame and Itachi were collecting the spray paint. They had to make sure not to leave finger prints anywhere near the actual crime scenes.

Deidara and Sasori were also wearing rubber gloves to stop any finger prints from showing on the bombs. Their plan was almost ready and the members were anxious for this to all be over. Sleep that night was restless as they all tossed and turned and kept each other awake with giddiness. Tomorrow was the beginning of the end for their opponents.


	21. Chapter 20

If You Dare Ch 20

The Akatsuki got up and got ready for school. With all the members back in action they were confident that they would succeed at beating the other gang. They walked out the door and got into their cars and headed to school. They still needed to be able to get the gang to come to them and that was the tricky part.

They walked into the building and put their books into their lockers. They only hoped that the damage they would do to the school would be broadcasted on the news and radio. It would give the other gang a good reason to come after them. The messages they would leave for the other gang would appear to be threats against themselves.

All they had to do was wait until the school emptied out to put their plan in motion. The teachers and staff would arrive at the school first and see all the graffiti and the bombs would go off by Deidara's remote. School would be closed down and students would be deterred from entering the building. The mess would be extensive.

The school would be swept by a bomb squad and then left unattended at night after it was locked. They would find a window to get in through and hope the gang got the message to come find them on their turf. First they had to get through a day of boring classes, which was per usual. Half of them slept while the other half daydreamed.

The last bell of the day rang. Deidara and Sasori went out to get the duffle bag out of Sasori's trunk. They carried it in and waited in the darkened gym for the school to empty. Itachi and Kisame brought the spray paint in and sat on the bleachers with the rest of the Akatsuki. The excitement went from a three to a ten in most of the members.

Itachi, Pein, Kakuzu and Sasori were all at a three. They were anxious to stop them but weren't giddy about it. Sasuke, Zetsu, Tobi and Hidan were at a five at least. They were a little more excited about the prospect of doing something illegal as well as stop the other gang. Konan, Naruto, and Kisame were at an eight. They were scared but excited too.

Deidara was at a ten all by himself. The excitement in his eyes and the light in his eyes should have been scary. Sasori though welcomed it. He would never be upset about any kind of happiness that Deidara felt. After seeing Deidara in such a state as before he was so glad that Deidara looked the way he did now.

Kakuzu and Hidan went and swept the school an hour later. They had to be sure that no one was left in the building for this to work. To their delight it was as empty as a tomb, except for them of course. They made their way back to the gym to inform the others.

As soon as the others got word that they were able to begin the excitement shot up through the roof. They would have been stupid to not be feeling a little bit of fear as well. After all these guys that they were luring were deadly. Pein and Kakuzu had seen it first hand. They would have to be a lot smarter this time around.

Deidara and Sasori began placing the bombs in different places. The bombs were small but a couple would actually take out half of a classroom. They placed them in lockers, cabinets and teacher's desks. They placed them in the toilets and on top of the doors of the bathrooms.

Deidara had made about two thousand bombs just for this occasion and he was proud to be using them. He grinned the whole time they were being placed. Sasori kept his cool as he helped place them. He watched Deidara closely hoping that this wouldn't be the sun before the storm.

Pein and Konan took cans of paint and went to one location while Kakuzu and Hidan took cans and went to another. Kisame and Itachi went to the cafeteria and sprayed threats all over the walls. Sasuke and Naruto went to the commons area. Zetsu and Tobi planted viruses in the school computers spouting threats towards the Akatsuki.

Once finished the gang came together and stood in a circle around each other. Pein put his hand in the middle. "To the Akatsuki and keeping our school safe." He said. Everyone put their hand in on top of his and shouted "To Sonora High." They left and headed home. Tomorrow was going to be a big day.

Konan sat at the kitchen table sipping coffee. She watched the news as a bulletin came on. "It appears that vandals have broken into Sonora High sometime last night. Threats were spray painted on every wall of every room. It was reported that a bomb went off at 7:00 am this morning and that there is suspected to be more bombs in the building. Sonora High School is closed until further notice. We advise students to stay away from the building until it is safe." The anchor woman said.

"The threats were directed at a gang called the Akatsuki. It has been rumored that the gang that hit our other schools around the city are trying to call this gang out. Who the other gang is, is unknown at this time. Whoever the Akatsuki is, we hope they won't retaliate against this other gang. Violence is never the answer." The anchor man said looking back to his co anchor.

Deidara watched the bulletin and scoffed. He hit a detonator and another bomb exploded in Sonora High. He smiled to himself as he watched Sasori sleep. "Hey Danna, it has begun, un." He said mischievously. Sasori groaned and sat up. He watched the news as the camera crew stood outside of Sonora high.

"Hey Dei, are you enjoying yourself?" He asked the grinning blonde. Deidara turned and jumped on Sasori. "Yes Danna, this is way too fun, un." He said as he kissed Sasori's neck. Sasori grabbed the blonde and pulled him back between the covers. He cuddled up to the blonde and tried to go back to sleep. However Deidara was having none of that.

Kisame laid behind Itachi watching his raven sleep. He smiled at how innocent the weasel looked to him. He was still amazed at how long it had taken them to admit they loved each other and just be together. He hugged the smaller teen to him. Itachi stirred and rolled over to face Kisame.

He wrapped his arms around Kisame's neck and pressed his face into Kisame's jugular. He sighed in his sleep and Kisame's heart soared. Sasuke walked in at that moment and stood at the end of the bed with an almost excited look. Kisame looked up to Itachi's younger brother and gave him an expectant look.

"It worked. The school is closed until further notice and they just called in the bomb squad. Deidara has been on a roll setting off the bombs. It has been reported over the news that the other gang is calling us out. Pein says it shouldn't be long now before the other gang shows up." Sasuke said.

Kisame grinned. He was pleased with their handy work. A small "hn" Came from his neck. Itachi had a way of sleeping heavy and then waking up at the perfect moment. He rolled and sat up. Sasuke smiled at his older brother. Itachi gave him a soft look but never really smiled. Kisame was the only one privy to Itachi's smiles, tears, needs, and wants.

It made him feel like he was a god sometimes. His ego was beyond inflated on those moments. Sasuke turned and left to go find his bubbly blonde. He kicked himself for thinking that way but he had come to think of him as his. Now he just had to follow through.

Hidan and Kakuzu sat up in bed watching the news bulletin. Hidan was happy it worked but the fear that knotted in his stomach made him cuddle closer to Kakuzu. Kakuzu had learned how to read Hidan like a book and knew he was worried about him getting hurt again. He cuddled his silver haired boyfriend and rubbed his back.

Zetsu and Tobi sat facing each other as the bulletin ended. Zetsu smiled at Tobi and Tobi leaned forward for a kiss. The mention of the computers in the bulletin made Zetsu beam with pride. He was every bit a computer genius as the guy who created them. Tobi crawled on top of Zetsu and Zetsu pulled the covers over their heads.

Pein and Konan sat at the table planning out their next step. Pein was gearing up for a good fight while Konan was gearing up for possible heart break and the unclear outcome. Pein hugged her and whispered sweet nothings in her ear. She tuned him out as she began to harden herself to the possibility.


	22. Chapter 21

If You Dare Ch 21

The school had been under heavy guard all day. Now as night neared the building was left empty and the grounds deserted. The bombs had been removed and the graffiti had been photographed by investigating officers. The school was still under lock down and the police had no suspects at the time.

Pein and Konan entered the building through the window they had used before. They searched the building for any presence. Once they were sure it was completely deserted they let the others into the building. The police would never suspect that the vandals would return so quickly while the place was being watched by the police.

Pein and they gang found it quite odd that the building had been left with no security to it. He could only figure that they were waiting for someone to make a move on the building. The problem was that they were to smart and stealthy for that. They weren't going to just walk up to the door and enter the building. They would keep out of sight and enter as the Akatsuki had.

The Akatsuki spread out through the building. They had a hunch that the other gang would show up tonight because they were as anxious for payback as the Akatsuki was to end them. Kisame and Itachi went to the gym. Sasuke and Naruto went to the office. Deidara and Sasori went to the commons area. Kakuzu and Hidan got to go to the cafeteria and Zetsu and Tobi of course went to the computer lab.

Pein and Konan were the scouts. They walked the halls to keep everyone informed of the arrival. Thanks to hand held radios they could all talk to each other without being left in the dark. Pein turned his radio on and selected channel 3 on the dial. "Everyone got your radios on? Come back." He said over the mic. Kisame held up the radio. "Read you loud and clear, Pein." Kisame answered.

"We are up and ready, Pein." Kakuzu answered. "We are reading you, Pein." Deidara said. "We are good on this end." Zetsu said. Pein waited for Sasuke to reply and almost sighed when he thought they would have to go tell them to turn on the damn radio. "Sorry, we are ready. Naruto couldn't work the radio." Sasuke said and it sounded as though Naruto was trying to kill Sasuke from embarrassment.

Pein called back over the radio. "Stay sharp and don't let down your guard. Be safe." He released the button and turned to Konan. "Let's scout." He said waving her on ahead of him. They walked down one hallway and were headed towards the gym when they heard movement in the hallway. Pein stopped and grabbed Konan pulling her back into a cubby hole. They waited to see what would happen.

About two minutes went by when the leader who gunned down Pein and Kakuzu came strolling down the hall with his gang in tow. They stopped in the hall and he turned to his gang. "Split up and search the school. I know they must be here somewhere. They called us out and this was their plan to get us here. Don't be fooled by any of them." He barked and turned to head down the hallway.

The gang did as told. They split up in twos and headed in different directions. The leader took the silver haired boy with glasses with him. The fat guy and the guy with black hair and spider tattoos on his arms went another direction. The twins went together in another direction. A boy with silver hair and teeth like fangs followed by a girl with brown hair and glasses went in another direction. The Akatsuki had never seen them before and were impressed that they could replace their members so fast.

A boy with blonde spiked hair made his way alone towards the office. They were almost evenly matched for this. The only thing being out of the Akatsuki's favor was that this gang liked to use weapons. The Akatsuki relied on their wits and their skills as fighters. It was going to be a hell of a fight for everyone involved. Once everyone passed Pein called over the radio. "They are here and headed to all of you. Be ready." Pein broke contact and he and Konan began tracking the leader and his lover.

Sasuke and Naruto were behind the counter of the office when the door opened. The spiky haired blonde walked in and looked around. Sasuke motioned for Naruto to go one side and he on the other. Naruto nodded and crawled out behind the unsuspecting boy. Sasuke came out to face the boy and kept his cool as he walked up in front of him. "You found me. I am impressed that your brain could comprehend to look here." He said smugly.

With a growl the blonde pulled out a knife and lunged at Sasuke. Naruto took a swing with his foot and caught the boy in the back. The boy lurched and fell over a chair against the wall. Sasuke reached out and grabbed his arm effectively bending it back until the knife fell out of his hand. Naruto kicked it out of the way and Sasuke took the first punch. He split the blondes lip and released him.

The blonde jumped to his feet and spun around to attack Naruto. Sasuke made quick work of kicking his feet out from under him. The blonde jumped up and grabbed the chair he had fallen over and threw it at Sasuke. The chair glanced off of Sasuke's shoulder causing his teeth to rattle and pain to course down his arm. His fingers tingled for a moment before coming back to full feeling.

Naruto threw a punch at the back of the blondes head. His hand connected and made his knuckles sting from the impact. The boy turned around and threw his own punch directly into Naruto's nose. The cracking was imperative to a broken nose. He yelled in pain and grabbed his face as blood rushed through his fingers. Sasuke took this opportunity to attack.

Kisame and Itachi jumped to their feet as the door to the gym opened. The girl with glasses and the boy with fangs walked into the gym. Kisame was immediately ready for action as Itachi eyed them wearily. To their surprise and relief neither of them brandished a weapon. The girl smirked at Itachi and reached out slapping his face to get a rise from him. It worked because a second later he stared her down.

"If you think I won't hit a girl well your wrong." Itachi said with a smirk. "I have heard how you regard girls after what you did to poor Tayuya." She snarled. Itachi smirked wider. "Actually that wasn't me that was my friend but she had it coming." He said sweetly. She lunged and he delivered a blow to her stomach knocking the wind out of her. She fell to her knees and gasped. He stepped back ready for the next move.

Kisame squared off with the silver haired boy. He liked showing his fangs. It must have given him a superior feeling. That is until Kisame bared his own teeth. The silver haired boy glowered at Kisame. He reached out and punched Kisame in the mouth smashing his lip against the sharp row of teeth. Kisame spit out blood and smiled. "Two can play that game." Kisame said coyly. He reached out like he was going to punch the kid in the mouth and instead spun around and drop kicked him in the teeth. The fangs sliced through his lip without mercy.

The girl was back on her feet and taking a stance with Itachi again. Itachi was ready as she threw a punch and he blocked it. She hissed in annoyance and kicked out hard catching Itachi in the upper thigh. It sent him back a couple of feet and he retaliated by rushing at her and punching her in the jaw. A cracking sound came from her teeth and blood ran in a stream down her chin. Kisame blocked a kick and sent one of his own to his opponents ribs. The silver haired boy only smiled.

Deidara and Sasori were facing the twins as they both moved in circles around the room trying to get the drop on the red head and the blonde. Deidara watched with amusement as the boy on his right kept making a wide ranged circle around the room. Sasori was tired of waiting for the boy on the left to move so he made the first one instead. He jumped forward and grabbed the boy by the back of the head and slammed him forward until his head slammed into a table.

He retreated and waited to see what would happen next. The boy stumbled and shook his head. He looked up at Sasori and Sasori could see the gash across the boys forehead. Blood began to seep from the cut and run down his face. He glared at Sasori and lunged back at the red head. Sasori was quick to dodge but backed into a table giving the boy time to reach out and grab Sasori. He picked him up in the air and threw him as far as he could across the room.

A table was Sasori's landing spot and as much as it hurt he was glad he hadn't landed on a group of chairs. The table shuttered and fell over as he slid to the ground. His back protested in pain and his leg felt like it was broken. He cursed under his breath as he rolled over and began to get to his feet. The boy made it to him before he could stand and a kick to his ribs sent him flying across the room some more.

Deidara swung and punched the other twin in the stomach. The twin stopped and backed up a couple of steps. He lunged for Deidara and rammed his head into Deidara's stomach taking both of them to the ground. He climbed onto Deidara's stomach and began throwing punch after punch to Deidara's face. Deidara was doing good at blocking at first. He had no choice but to move his hands to grab the boy and throw him off of him. The boy landed on his side and it was Deidara's turn to climb on top of him.

Zetsu and Tobi were sitting on a table when the fat guy and the black haired guy with Tattoos appeared. They jumped to their feet and began sizing up the other guys. The fat guy snickered. "This will be a walk in the park." He scoffed. The black haired guy with him nodded. Zetsu sighed in agitation. Tobi was quick to throw a punch and it caught everyone in the room off guard. The fat guy growled at Tobi as his face began to turn a slight purple. Tobi snickered this time.

Zetsu smirked at his lovers' eagerness. He turned and faced the black haired guy and the black haired guy smiled as if to intimidate Zetsu. Zetsu merely smiled back. He had studied Tai Kwon Do and he was on his way to being a black belt. He only had one level to complete. He reached out with a straight hand and stuck his fingers in the black haired guys throat. The black haired guy stumbled and coughed uncontrollably. Zetsu smirked. Now he could hone his skills even better.

Tobi was holding his own as he threw yet another punch to the fat guys face. The fat guy couldn't move as fast and so Tobi had an advantage. This however changed when the fat guy started grabbing computer towers and throwing them at Tobi. Tobi dodged them easy enough until one caught him in the side of the head. He fell to the ground with a crash and Zetsu looked over his shoulder to see if he was getting back up. He was relieved to see that he was just a little bloodier than he was before.

Tobi turned to the fat guy and dived over the mess of computers and landed on the guy. They both went to the ground and Tobi began throwing punches in his rather pissed off state. The fat guy groaned as punch after punch found his face and bloodied his cheek and his nose. Tobi was relentless in his beating. His head swam with dizziness and it ached where the tower had hit him. Blood ran down his face into his eye making it hard to see.

Zetsu delivered a roundhouse kick to the black haired guys head and sent him reeling. The guy jumped up and rushed back into the fight. He reached out and grabbed the front of Zetsu's jacket and punched at him. Zetsu caught the guys arm and broke his wrist in one snap. The black haired guy howled in pain and jumped back to reassess his options. Zetsu stood patiently waiting for the guy to make a move.

Kakuzu and Hidan were being stared down by the leader and his silver haired lover. Kakuzu was anxious to take that mother down and Hidan was anxious to keep Kakuzu away from him. Pein and Konan walked into the cafeteria via another door. The four surrounded the two and the leader and his lover laughed hysterically. Konan gave Pein a nervous look. He kept his eyes on the leader as did Kakuzu. The leader pulled out a gun and it was like De javu all over again.

Konan made a small hiccupping sound as Hidan held his breath. The room seemed to spin and time seemed to slow down. The only sound in the room was the ticking of a clock. Kakuzu looked at Pein as Pein looked at Kakuzu. They had been here before and Pein had nearly died. Konan was frozen in fear for Pein and Hidan was slowly coming around. He reached under his jacket and in the next second he was holding a gun on the silver haired boy. The safety was off and it was cocked.

Kakuzu looked at Hidan in shock and fear. Pein was glaring hard at the gun in Hidan's hand. "Hidan we voted no weapons." He said darkly. "Yeah well I am sorry but I refuse to see my boyfriend get shot and die because of these bastards." Hidan said. Kakuzu gave Pein a helpless look. The leader kept his gun pointed at Kakuzu and Hidan kept his trained on the silver haired boy. The leader looked over to Hidan and then to his lover. He glared at Hidan and then put his attention back on Kakuzu. They were at an impass so it seemed.


	23. Chapter 22

If You Dare Ch 22

Pein closed his eyes as e tried to get his emotions under control. Hidan had disobeyed a vote. He had brought a weapon. He had to reason with him. "Hidan if you pull that trigger then you are no better then he is." Pein said. Hidan's eyes began to mist up. He knew Pein was right but it didn't matter. "You weren't the ones who had to sit by and wonder if you would make it.

You weren't the ones who stood watching as your lovers went to the floor in pain and blood. You didn't have to worry about being alone." Hidan said. His voice wavering. He kept his gun and his eyes trained on the silver haired boy. It would be so easy to pull the trigger and watch the black haired leader feel what he had felt.

Konan was now working on numbness. Her brain wasn't computing the fact that there was a gun. Her brain was only telling her that Pein would most certainly die this time. She rushed forward and ran into the black haired guy as hard as she could. He flew tot the floor from the force and the gun flew out of his hand. It skidded across the floor and stopped under a table. Konan jumped to her feet and ran to it.

She picked it up and released the clip. She emptied the chamber and dumped the bullets into the trash can. She took the gun and left the cafeteria. Pein was in shock at the moment. He wasn't sure what had really happened. The leader growled and stood up. He now looked at Hidan in hatred. His control was gone with the gun. "Hidan putt he gun away. We don't need it. It isn't the way we fight." Kakuzu said trying to coax his lover.

Hidan looked at Kakuzu for a moment. The silver haired boy went for the gun and a struggle began. Hidan refused to let go of the gun for the fear that the silver haired boy would use it on Kakuzu. He held tight as the leader's lover continued to pry on his fingers. Hidan was relentless. He tightened his grip and pushed against he silver haired boy. The boy's glasses fell from his face in the struggle and it never even slowed him down.

Pein was now engaged in a punching match with the other leader. They were continually testing each others ability. Konan returned only to see the struggle over the gun. Her heart picked up pace and she was frantic. Kakuzu was trying to figure out a way to get between the two boys and stop this dreadful squabble before- "Bang" The report from the gun rang out. The room got deathly silent.

Hidan and the boy both stumbled. They looked at each other with wide eyes. Neither one could think. Neither one could breathe. The leader's lover stumbled backwards again and blood ran from his mouth as he coughed. The leader spun around and eyed his fallen lover. The boy hit the floor and held his stomach in his hands. Time moved so slowly.

The leader ran to his lover's side and scooped him up into his arms. Hidan backed up until his legs hit the edge of a chair. He had blood on his hands and the gun was gripped so tight that his knuckles were white. Kakuzu was by him in an instant. He pulled the gun from Hidan's grasp. He dumped the bullets from the chamber and put it away. Konan brought some napkins and began rubbing the blood off of Hidan's hands.

The leader howled in pain as his lover lay there panting. He picked up his lover and looked at Pein. He glared white hot daggers at him. "You may have won this time but you won't always." He said. The leader took his lover and left the cafeteria. He barked into his radio to retreat. He turned and left through the main doors of the school. He didn't care who seen them.

A police squad was sitting down the street a ways. They were watching to see what might happen if the school was deserted. Sure enough the gang had showed. The cops were there in a moment and arrested all of the members of the gang. The gang looked worse for wear. They rushed the leader's lover to the hospital and took down all of the members names.

Pein and Konan rounded up their members and went back through the window they had come through. They slipped away from the school and headed home. Things hadn't gone exactly as they had hoped but they had gotten what they wanted from this. The other gang would now be tried and convicted for the murders of the seven students. Pein was relieved that they could all go home and just breathe.

They got home and they all collapsed onto the couches. Hidan was still in a state of shock as he sat with trembling hands on Kakuzu's lap. Kakuzu rubbed his back and whispered sweet things into his ear. Sasori's leg was broken and they were setting it with a splint. He cursed a few choice words at Zetsu and Kisame as they shifted it around. Deidara held his hand and tried to keep him calm. Tobi was cleaning up Itachi's cheek where the girl had gotten a lucky kick.

Sasuke was taping Naruto's nose and trying not to laugh at how black and blue it was. Naruto talked so funny that he had to continually bite his lip to keep from making fun. Naruto tried to glare but even that hurt. He settled for closing his eyes so he wouldn't see him. Sasuke leaned forward and kissed Naruto's lips. Naruto opened his eyes and looked at Sasuke in disbelief. "I love you, dobe. No more messing around. We belong together and we need each other." He said as he finished bandaging Naruto's nose.

Naruto smiled softly. "Yeah, you're right teme. No more messing around. I get to be seme." Naruto said smiling. Sasuke jumped back and looked at Naruto. "No way. I will not bottom." He said firmly. Naruto smiled. "If you ever plan on having sex with me then you will have to. I can be very stubborn." Naruto said with a smirk. Sasuke glared at Naruto. He tried to hold it only to fail.

"Fine, we will compromise. You can be seme the first time." Sasuke said. Naruto thought about it. He smiled and nodded. If Sasuke was willing to compromise then so was he. Naruto climbed into Sasuke's lap and laid his head on his shoulder. Sasuke rubbed Naruto's back and sighed in contentment. This is how it should always be. Minus the aches and pains of a fight though.

Kisame and Zetsu finally left Sasori alone. Sasori was only too happy. Deidara ran his finger over Sasori's cheek. Sasori smiled in pain. He liked the feeling of Deidara's finger on his cheek. He closed his eyes and relaxed into Deidara's hand. "Okay, un. We can load him into the SUV. We need to get him to the hospital so they can put his leg in a cast, un." Deidara said. Kisame and Zetsu sighed as they released their lovers.

Kakuzu, Pein, Zetsu and Kisame loaded Sasori into the car and he leaned heavily against Deidara. He panted and sweat formed in his hair line from the pain. He begged Deidara to knock him out but was turned down. Deidara held Sasori almost in his lap all the way to the hospital. The Dr. was impressed at how well splinted the leg was. Sasori's leg was in a cast in no time. They made it back home by the break of dawn. Tired and worn out the couples all retreated to their rooms.

Deidara tucked Sasori in and propped his leg. "Hey, it's my job to take care of you." Sasori said. Deidara smiled warmly at him. "Well when you can walk without knocking everything in the room or the house over, I will let you, un." Deidara smiled mockingly. "I tripped over everything because it was in my way." Sasori said as if that justified it. Deidara laughed. "Okay, un." He crawled into bed and laid his head on Sasori's shoulder. Sasori smiled in contentment. Now this was more like it.

Kisame and Itachi crawled into bed at the same time. They kissed and laid down as Kisame turned out the light. Itachi cuddled up to Kisame and Kisame wrapped his arms around him. The sound of their breathing and the beat of Kisame's heart was the only thing Itachi could hear. It was all he needed to lull him into a sound sleep.

Kakuzu held Hidan against him as Hidan cried. Kakuzu knew it had taken it's toll on his lover when the gun went off. It had been a bad situation. "I was so scared he would shoot you. It was my fault that the gun went off. If I hadn't taken the gun then it wouldn't have happened." Hidan cried. Kakuzu rocked him in his arms like a child who had done a terrible thing.

"If you hadn't taken the gun they would still be there kicking our asses or worse. I am not saying that it was good that you brought the gun. You defied Pein's orders and our vote. I am just saying that it played out in our favor." Kakuzu said soothingly. Hidan nodded. He knew Kakuzu was right. He just needed to hear it. He closed his eyes and let the tiredness take over. Sleep came and he dreamed of nothing.

Pein and Konan lay in their bed. Konan was listening to the sounds of the house. She was so happy that everyone came back home and that the family was together. Pein held her hand. Sometimes just to lay here and hold hands was enough for him. It was a feeling of completeness. It was just a sign that they were all going to be alright.

Zetsu ran his fingers through Tobi's hair again and again. Tobi lay against Zetsu's chest. He hung between sleep and awareness. He was in a state of comfort. He needed nothing else. All he needed was Zetsu and vice versa. The room was cast in a soft glow of the sunlight and it was just perfect to them.

Sasuke and Naruto lay in bed together. It was awkward at first. They had slept in the same bed before but as friends. Now it held a different meaning. They were both too tired to seal their relationship tonight. They would be content just to hold each other and sleep in each others arms but not for long.


	24. Epilogue

If You Dare Epilogue

One week later the gang sat at the table in the kitchen watching the news. The gang had confessed to seven murders of other teen aged kids. They were facing hard time although the jury was still out on the sentencing. The silver haired boy who had struggled with Hidan was in intensive care still but would make a full recovery.

He was due to be arrested upon release of the hospital. Pein felt a little bad that these teen aged kids would lose the rest of their lives to prison but they had it coming. They had murdered kids in cold blood to show people how tough they were. It now stood to show that they weren't as tough as it seemed.

They all tuned their attention to the next segment of the broad cast. "Even though the gang is not mentioning another gang being there, it appears that the gang that they had called out, the Akatsuki, was there. There is no proof to the matter but one of the gang members that have been arrested was shot. Two of the gang members, approximately two to three weeks ago also lost their lives in a train yard when the car they were driving hit between two trains engulfing the car in flames.

It again appears that the Akatsuki were involved in this as well. The Akatsuki have not been identified however. They are a mystery and it seemed that the Akatsuki weren't a bad gang. They tried to keep order in school and keep the kids from being out of control. It seemed that the other gang was out to show them that they were not afraid of them. We have no further information at this time on the Akatsuki. It is clear they are not to be messed with." The anchor woman said handing the spotlight back to her co host.

Pein turned off the TV. He turned and smiled at his family. "Well done guys. They don't know we are the Akatsuki and it is clear that we have gotten our message across. Now all we have to do is lay low and let people come to their own conclusions." Pein said getting a nod from everyone. Pein smiled and turned back to the blank TV. He wondered what had made the leader stop so suddenly.

Konan smiled and rubbed his arm. He turned to look at her and was surprised to get a kiss. She rubbed their noses together and smiled happily at him. He was a clever guy and he had pulled off something that most people wouldn't be able to. The future of the Akatsuki lay in his hands.

Naruto gave Sasuke a look. Sasuke smiled and looked away. He knew what Naruto wanted. He wanted to make good on that Seme thing. Sasuke shivered. It was okay in theory but the thought of actually allowing his boyfriend to put it up there was a little unnerving. Itachi looked between the two and laughed under his breath.

Sasuke looked up and scowled at Itachi. "What are you laughing at? You are limping ten times out of ten every time Kisame gets through with you." He said softly. Itachi shook his head. "Yeah, but I like it." Itachi said. Sasuke rolled his eyes. "What is so great about butt hurt?" He asked with a hiss. Kisame chuckled. Itachi smiled lightly.

"It is the feeling you get before the butt hurt. It is worth every bit of it. Just swallow your pride and go for it." Itachi said with a smirk. Sasuke sighed in defeat. He did tell Naruto he could be the Seme first. He turned to look at Naruto who had that hopeful almost chibi look on his face. Sasuke caved. "Come on, dobe." He said grabbing Naruto's hand and pulling him out of the room.

They got into the bedroom and Sasuke turned to face Naruto. He began laying down a list of rules a mile long. Naruto rolled his eyes. "Don't take the fun out of it, Teme." Naruto said. Sasuke sighed and gave up. Naruto began to undress Sasuke as Sasuke undressed Naruto. When they were both naked they lay down on the bed. Naruto was kissing Sasuke everywhere and Sasuke shivered.

Hands roamed and tongue's explored. Hot wet kisses were left on exposed skin to make goose bumps. The time came for the deed to be done and Sasuke was to say the least, worried. He was sure this was not going to go well. Naruto smiled sweetly as he prepared Sasuke. Sasuke squirmed and panted and tried not to yelp in pain.

Once that was finished and the deed was coming it was all downhill from there. In the kitchen, Sasuke's scream could be heard as if he were sitting at the table. Pein looked scared as he looked at Konan. Konan bit her lip and tried hard not to run to Sasuke's rescue. Tobi looked at Zetsu like he was about to run away. Kisame held Itachi against him as the older Uchiha held his breath.

Kakuzu looked like he could throw up from the sounds of the pain and Hidan looked like he was…..Smirking? Deidara was holding Sasori so tight that Sasori looked like he might turn blue and Sasori was trying not to kill his blonde because Deidara was clinging to his broken leg. One last scream ripped through the kitchen and then all was quiet. Well except for the moaning and the name calling.

Two hours later Sasuke limped badly into the living room. He sat down and groaned as his butt touched the couch. He rolled over onto his stomach and buried his face in the pillow. Naruto walked in and everyone watched as he too sat softly on a different couch. He groaned in pain and glared at Sasuke. "What happened to you, Naruto?" Kisame asked. "Sasuke bit me. Only because he said I didn't do it right." He pouted.

Kisame laughed. Itachi smirked. "Well it can only be done one way so how was it wrong?" Kisame asked curiosity getting the better of him. "He did it dry and he did it fast and hard even when I told him to stop." Sasuke said in a clipped tone. Itachi busted up. "Oh wow, that had to have hurt. If Kisame ever did that to me I would kill him." Itachi said with a nod.

Naruto swallowed hard. "It wasn't like I meant to hurt him. He said to hurry up so I did. Then he told me to slow down. He had me all confused." Naruto grumbled. Sasuke rolled over to look at Naruto. "When I said to slow down you sped up. When I said to speed up you slowed down. What part of it weren't you getting?" Sasuke asked grumpily.

"The part where you said to listen to you closely. I couldn't hear you, you were screaming too loud, Teme." Naruto said. Sasuke sighed. The room was quiet as everyone absorbed the conversation. "Looks like Itachi and I need to give you guys a crash course on sex, eh?" Kisame asked with a grin. The room was no longer silent.

"NOOOOOO!" Sasuke said as he jumped up and hissed in pain. He ran out of the room and headed to his own. Naruto wasn't far behind him, with any luck he could catch up and not get locked out. Itachi was running up the stairs to his as well. "Was it something I said?" Kisame asked confused. Pein laughed. Konan couldn't resist. "By all means go have that talk with them, if you dare." She said as she left the room.


End file.
